- MALEVOLENCE w/ Guilt Trip & Chamber
- 04/23/2026 - X-Ray Arcade - Cudahy, WI
- ©Justin Nuoffer
Spring has hit Wisconsin, and the city of Milwaukee was packed full of people enjoying the afternoon and evening. Mere blocks away from the beautiful beaches of Lake Michigan stands X-Ray Arcade in Cudahy. The suburbs of Wisconsin’s cities are littered with local bars on every corner, and this venue is just that. Standing on the corner of Packard and Martin Avenue, the small venue is busy as the after-work crowd starts moving in to grab some drinks.
Stepping up and opening the door, a small table stands where you check in. To the right is the kitchen, and straight ahead is a bar that wraps around into the main room. Arcade machines line the back wall, and the tour merchandise is against the other. Hanging a hard right around the bar, you enter the main floor with a stage standing a few feet off of the ground. The entire space is painted black to keep you focused on the performance. Through the door to the left is the outdoor space that is packed full of patrons at tables and patio chairs.
Opening the evening were locals Suffer No Fools. It was heavy and full of fire. As the X-Ray Arcade slowly filled, the room came alive person by person, with the Milwaukee locals dishing out a mixture of heavy metal and hardcore. The four-piece impressed, but the early star of the night was Chamber from Nashville, TN.
They took to the small stage and tore into “Parting Gift.” The pit opened up instantly as vocalist Jacob Lilly stomped around the stage, swinging his hair and headbanging every chance he got. On each end of the stage, Henry Dierig and Gabe Manuel handled guitar duties, with Manuel also delivering fierce backing vocals. That energy carried them through standouts such as “Violins,” “Tears of Joy,” and “Scarlet Ink,” riling up the Milwaukee crowd.
Check out the Chamber concert photo gallery below:
Bassist Chris Smith and drummer Taylor Carpenter worked in unison, creating that metalcore backbone with their relentless strikes. Closing out their thirty-minute set with “Angel” and “Retribution” kept the room moving. Chamber was heavy and a perfect warm-up.
The Manchester, England, hardcore act Guilt Trip then took to the stage with the room jam-packed and ready to explode, marking their first time in Milwaukee. Opening with a cover of Machine Head’s “Davidian,” the atmosphere turned electric in an instant. The entire venue screamed, “Let freedom ring with a shotgun blast,” together, and Guilt Trip knew they had the room in the palm of their hands. With their new album Armour of Angels on the horizon, they launched into “Burn” and wasted no time diving into the gritty hardcore sound that is fueling their rise. Vocalist Jay Valentine moved nonstop, jumping and two-stepping while delivering vicious vocals.
Much of Guilt Trip’s set pulled from their 2023 release, Severance. Crushing riffs from Jack Maden and Sam Baker kept the X-Ray Arcade in a constant state of chaos, with mosh pits and stage diving throughout. Tracks like “Sweet Dreams,” “Eyes Wide Shut,” and “Surrounded By Pain” had the Milwaukee crowd fully locked in, their familiarity with the material adding to the intensity. Drummer Tom Aimson was relentless, his arms snapping down with precision, while bassist Lily Kilcoyne stayed perfectly in sync, driving the low end that shook the floor.
As the energy hit a fever pitch, the band pushed through “Severance” and “The Gates” before introducing their latest single. With Valentine announcing “No Love Lost,” the response was immediate and loud. Rolling into “Guilt Trip” and “Tearing Your Life Away,” they built toward the final track of the night, “Thin Ice.” The lone cut from 2019’s River of Lies proved to be one of the most chaotic moments of the set.
Check out the Guilt Trip concert photo gallery below:
The room erupted as fans emptied the tank, giving everything they had left. Guilt Trip is a force, and it is no surprise they have built such a strong live reputation, even before making their Milwaukee debut.
Moving from an ass-kicking to a straight beatdown, Malevolence made their way back to Wisconsin to deliver a vicious assault and dominate. Opening with “Trenches,” the X-Ray Arcade was put on notice. You will mosh and stage dive. Frontman Alex Taylor leg-kicked, stomped, and threw fists while spitting out lyrics and raising the intensity instantly. Guitarist Konan Hall also handled co-vocals, bringing a brutal edge to the performance. As the band moved through “Life Sentence” and “Still Waters Run Deep,” they pushed the crowd to get even more rowdy, and the Milwaukee crowd answered the call. The largest circle pit possibly in X-Ray Arcade history broke open, and fans whipped around the room on command during “Self Supremacy.
The Sheffield, England, natives unleashed every ounce of energy they had left for the final night of the tour. Their sound blends sludge, groove, hardcore, and metalcore, delivering a punishing mix that never lets up. Ripping through “Karma” and “So Help Me God,” Malevolence put on a masterclass in controlled chaos. Guitarist Josh Baines stood out as a wild force, shredding through solos and shifting the dynamics of each track with ease, all while constantly moving across the stage.
Behind him, bassist Wilkie Robinson played fast and heavy, locking in tightly with drummer Charlie Thorpe, who was relentless on the kit. With a stank face and heavy hands, Thorpe pounded through each track, amplifying the intensity with every hit. Heading into the final stretch with “Keep Your Distance” and “On Broken Glass,” Taylor and Hall continued to hype up the crowd, inviting fans to jump on stage and give everything they had left. Bodies flew everywhere, and at one point, a fan rode a pineapple float across the crowd, adding a moment of humor to the chaos. Even the band cracked smiles as the madness unfolded.
Check out the Malevolence concert photo gallery below:
Closing with “If It’s All The Same” physically shook the entire venue. Every last ounce of energy was unleashed in the pit as Malevolence pushed their sound to its most punishing level to end the night.
Once the set wrapped, the sweaty crowd spilled out onto the porch and side exits to cool off. Inside, the bar filled quickly as people grabbed drinks, and the merch tables stayed busy. Along the back wall, arcade games lit up as a few fans spent their last quarters. The night felt like something special. Even after a long tour run, every band delivered at full strength. If anything, it proved that hardcore and metal are in good hands, and if a sold-out show like this is any indication, bigger venues should be paying attention.
Catch Malevolence on the Road…
