Justin Nuoffer
CONCERT REVIEW + PHOTOS
Better Lovers
5/12/24 – Majestic Theatre, Madison, WI.
Photos © Justin Nuoffer / NuofferMedia
On a warm and beautiful Mother’s Day in Madison, WI the Majestic Theatre played host to an incredible tour package of up-and-comers. The red and white facade of the Majestic glimmered. The marquee hanging above the historic building’s glass door read “Better Lovers”. Fans started lining up well before doors opened. With the state capital looming a block down and the street lined with outside dining, there was business happening all around which made the wait feel like nothing….Especially with an ice cream shop directly next to the venue. After all, this is the dairy state.
The security check moves quickly and you can head upstairs towards the balcony which has booth seating and opera booths next to the stage if you purchased those additionally. On the main level, the merch booth is directly to the right in a corner and the line filled up quickly and down a ramp to the main GA area. Those limited edition vinyl pressings by Better Lovers were a hot item. To the left, a bar wrapped around the back corner and also led to a set of stairs that led down to the main floor. In the middle of the room was a 4 tiered GA area. There were plenty of viewing spots all around. The stage itself is a classic hardwood space with a massive gold ornate gold proscenium arch wrapping over the top of it. The 118-year-old Vaudeville theatre was alive in all of its beauty. This performance though may have left a few dents within its armor.
Kicking off this shindig, Graysea. The relative newcomers ripped through a thirty-minute set. Despite being unknown to most of the crowd, they engaged quickly and had the GA floor moving. By all means, this band was nothing to sleep on. They will be fast risers in the hardcore scene and have a great base in Milwaukee to keep them growing.
Next up, Greyhaven followed and also tore through a thirty-minute set. Having been around since 2013 they have played WI quite a few times. However, this bill is tailored to them. With an EP titled Sterio Grief released back in April, the two newest singles “The Welcome Party” and “Confined Collapse” anchored their performance. when they played five of the seven songs from their previous two full-length albums, the crowd’s familiarity was noted.
They unleashed a fury of heavy riffs and screams. The floor finally opened up into a massive mosh pit which basically stayed moving throughout the night. Instantly, those two-step hardcore kids let loose. It was a sight to see. The band themselves were extremely tight and looked ready to have a very big 2024 on the back of a fantastic new EP.
If you were at this show and said to yourself, “When did everything become absolutely crazy?” look no further than the very first Foreign Hands ripper of the night “God Under Fingernails”. The pure viciousness of the circle pit rose a notch. Bodies started flying towards the stage and the stage divers began coming at a rapid-fired pace. Foreign Hands arm themselves with epic breaks and massive 808 bass drops whenever possible.
The vocals of Tyler Norris cut through the air and into your ears. Their sound is heavy and grimey with an old-school metalcore feeling similar to the early 2000s trailblazers. Paired with the clean vocals of Jack Beatson they evolved as their set progressed. However, it was well apparent their goal was to be as heavy as humanly possible and they succeeded with no hold-ups. Churning out songs from their soon-to-be-release full-length What’s Left Unsaid and the 2022 EP Bleed The Dream the crowd screamed every chorus. The material was known and Foreign Hands displayed their dominance.
The self-labeled sasscore band SeeYouSpaceCowboy just released Coup de Grâce back in April and the hype surrounding them and this album has been enormous, so it made sense they opened with “Allow Us To Set The Scene”. SeeYouSpaceCowboy was clearly a major draw to this bill. The unrelenting onslaught of hard-hitting screaming and chaotic movements catch the eye. They are genuinely having fun while delivering an array of social commentary by frontwoman Connie Sgarbossa. All of the commentaries matched the lyrical strength of their well-crafted brand of in-your-face metalcore.
Guitarist Ethan Sgarbossa and bassist Timmy Moreno split time singing all of the clean vocals while playing and flying across the stage. These brilliant performers are also no strangers to Wisconsin either, having performed in Milwaukee already. It is obvious they’ve already built a fan base here that dished out incredible reactions to every single note. The admiration was shared by the band who also jumped into the front row. It was an out-and-out brawl on the senses and worth every penny.
A massive banner hung at the back of the stage. “Better Lovers” stamped across it and bathed in hard red light. An intro rang out. A mishmash of radio songs featuring the word “Love”. “Become So Small” from their only release, God Made Me An Animal, was the table setter and it couldn’t have been more perfect. Rapid stage strobes popped, the floors shook, and the crowd noise was deafening.
Vocalist Greg Puciato explodes into his opening line and starts to push into the pit. He engaged with the Better Lovers faithful as often as possible. The stage became so much more chaotic than words could describe. Bassist Steve Micciche was pure anarchy. The man threw his body around each end of the stage and still managed the hit every string without missing a beat. “Sacrificial Participant” followed up the mighty first track and the brutality of the main riff brought the crowd killers out of the woodwork. The gigantic circle pit widened beyond anything that happened previously. The atmosphere was electric and the high-speed string picking by Will Putney and Jordan Buckley only raised the level of gratification.
Also featured within their set were a few songs that will presumably be released on the upcoming full-length album they are currently working on – “Edward”, “Croc”, “Hey Chef”, and “Slay”. If there was any indication by the thunderous reaction to each banger performed, the forthcoming album is going to be one of the albums of the year candidates. The new material is raw and original. There isn’t anything out there that can match them right now. The live performance is unapologetic and intense. The perfection of their sound translates beyond any normal performance. Their brand is of noise is appeases any hardcore, metalcore, or metal fan’s taste. Their live show is meticulously crafted. From the coloring and imagery, it all works. It is hard not to catch oneself being awestruck at times.
The final moment of chaos was the band’s very first single “30 Under 13.” Every ounce of energy and heart was poured out onto the stage. Puciato once again puched into the front row sharing the microphone and screaming with the fans together as one. This juncture of time is exactly what made the band’s members so popular over their careers. They understood it wasn’t just about them.
Better Lovers delivered no encore and just played straight through. That hardcore attitude is a breath of fresh air. The insistence upon it just takes momentum away from what was already built and these veterans know this better than anyone. Once the room’s lights came on it was a “What the hell did I just experience?” moment. The shellshock was real and it was wonderful. Hands down one of the best live shows going around right now.
If you didn’t walk away from this show bruised and battered from that vicious assault there is no way you experienced it the right way. It was a performance for the ages. While leaving the venue, the cool night air revitalized one’s self. The rush of energy made you want to run back in and experience it all over again. Whatever you do make sure you take the next day off to rest. You’re going to need it.
Check out our Better Lovers concert photos gallery below:
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