ATP! Live Review: Glamour Kills Spring Break Tour - BackBooth Orlando, FL (02/28/2015)

I pulled up to the hole-in-the-wall venue about an hour and half before doors opened at 5:30 p.m. The show was sold out, but since I’d been to the tiny venue before, I didn’t give my arrival time a second thought. But I wish I had. There was already a line wrapping alongside the venue and well into the Florida rain. I reluctantly took my spot and waited.

Door were supposed to open at 5:30, but the VIP packages for Set It Off and Against the Current were running behind, which meant that everyone waited in the cold rain until 6 p.m.

When we finally got inside, it was already packed. There was at least another 100 people in line behind me, so I was seriously doubting the building’s ability to hold us all. Apparently, the venue has a capacity of 350 people, which is utterly amazing considering how tight the space is. Whatever the case, to be playing a sold out show on the second night of the tour must have been an amazing experience for the bands.

The show kicked off with three songs by rapper Cody T, which was… different. He had talent, but I was struggling to figure out why he was rapping at a pop-punk concert, where there were already four bands on the line up, and when everyone was ready for the bands to start.

After Cody T, ROAM and As It Is took the stage, respectively. Both bands hail from the same area in the UK, and the Orlando show was their first ever concert in America. They were the perfect opening acts because of their immense energy. ROAM’s lead singer had impressive height in his jumps. The members from ROAM told us jokes and stories about their first couple of days in America, and As It Is was very well received.

Against the Current was the next band to perform, and I was super excited to see them live. Chrissy Costanza has such an incredible voice and with more experience live, she will only get better. As it was, she jumped around the stage and did her signature backbend-hairflip combo. A song or two in, Dan Gow’s guitar malfunctioned, so the band resorted to telling knock-knock jokes, Costanza confessing that she gets nervous talking in front of people, and then the entire band admitting that they needed to stick to music. Luckily, the guitar situation was quickly resolved. Their set up was really cool because their amps would light up blue with certain notes, which matched the blue lighting of the venue. The band mostly played songs from their Gravity EP, which included a duet with Patty Walters for “Dreaming Alone.” I was hoping they would play their cover of “Uptown Funk” with Set It Off, but no such luck.

The last act of the night was Set It Off, the band (I found out while waiting in line) that most people were there to see. Since Set It Off is commonly characterized as having a more orchestral-pop feel, the band relies on a laptop to simulate those sounds. Unfortunately, due to a combination of relentless Florida rain and a leaky ceiling, their laptop was ruined, resulting in an hour of waiting for the band to figure out how to continue while listening to deafening rap music put on by the venue. Finally, the band came out, and I am 100% serious when I say that they are actually better live than they are on a polished CD. Lead singer Cody Carson’s personality on stage and performance absolutely blew me away. At one point, he got the crowd to hold him as he walked to the center of the crowd.

Given the cozy (that’s putting it nicely) atmosphere of the venue, the bands were walking around all night, taking pictures. Once the show was over, they were all at their merch tables, talking to fans.

For the sake of the bands, I hope they continue to grow and become more well-known. For the sake of the fans (and myself), I hope they continue their intimate shows and accessibility to fans. There is truly nothing better than being crammed together in a venue meant for 50, watching the band smile to themselves as the crowd belts out the lyrics.

Words by Alexandra Shimalla