After playing the other two rooms at Melkweg in Amsterdam, it was now time for Set It Off to play the biggest one. On February 17th the band managed to sell out the show and had fans queuing for hours in the cold, hoping to stand as close as possible. This evening we were treated to four bands on the line-up: TSS (The Sunday Sadness), Call Me Amour, Point North and of course Set It Off.
Just a short 15 minutes after doors the first band of the evening was on the stage. TSS is a band from France, consisting of vocalist Matthieu Kirby, vocalist and guitarist John Fine and drummer Hugo Peix. For this tour, they are also joined by bassist Tom Saulnier. Unfortunately due to sickness, Fine was not performing today. TSS started their set with ‘Would you be my therapy’, which has a mix of French and English lyrics. The band all wore amazing outfits, giving off the exact right amount of emo vibes. Their songs were catchy and their 25-minute set was way too short. Luckily for us, they are coming back in May for a small headline tour, playing in Tilburg, Brussels and Cologne.
Up next was Call Me Amour, a British band who are still pretty new to the scene. The band debuted their first EP in 2023 and has been on some killer tours since then, making their name in the industry. The tour sickness also caught up to vocalist Harry Radford, who was not feeling great and having issues with his voice. Despite that, the band put on an amazing show and Radford did not show any signs of sickness. Radford was jumping all over the stage and even went down into the middle of the crowd to jump and sing with them. ‘Girl On The Wall’ was their last song of the evening and once again Radford made his way into the crowd, this time hanging upside down from the balcony. Their set was over just before we knew it and their 20 minutes flew by quickly.
The third band of the evening started a few minutes later than scheduled, but the crowd was getting entertained by the great pre-show playlist. Songs from Beartooth, Bad Omens, Papa Roach and more blasted through the speakers. This three-piece from Los Angeles knows how to put on a show and their energy was through the roof from the second they walked out on stage. For ‘Below The Belt’ the band asked for a circle pit, which they got. After the song ended vocalist Jon Lundin said “We only condone a little bit of violence, I swear.” At the end of their 30-minute set, Lundin promised they would come back for another show.
After three great bands, the crowd was warmed up and somehow still had energy left for the main act of the evening. “Good evening, your entertainment will commence in one minute” a voiceover was heard over the speakers and then a ticking clock. It spoke out again for the 30-second mark and then started counting down from 10, making the crowd count down loudly with it. When it hit zero some background noises created suspense before the band came out and started their set with ‘Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing [REBORN]’.
‘Kill The Lights’ started with only vocalist Cody Carson at the front of the stage with his mic stand, while guitarist Zach DeWall and their touring guitarist stood on the raised platform at the back with drummer Maxx Danziger. The song stopped in the middle and Carson screamed out “Are you fucking ready? Prove it!” off the mic before continuing. For ‘I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead’ Carson and Danziger switched places, Carson taking a seat behind the drums and Danziger coming up to the front of the stage and grabbing the microphone. This song was entirely sung by Danziger, who made it a whole performance and seemed to enjoy being in the spotlight as well.
“All of us, every single person here is walking a different path in life. Every single person here is going through a different fucking struggle and some stuff you just can’t talk about, but out here for some reason, we all agree. Right here we all fucking belong (…) We love performing, but the same applies to us. We’re going through some shit, why do you think we go so hard on stage? Because we’re feeling what the fuck you’re feeling. We’re going through the same shit. That’s important to talk about, important to make normal. Failure is normal, problems are normal. Life is not supposed to be fucking perfect, embrace that because that’s what makes us stronger. We get to live this life!” Carson spoke before starting ‘Killer In The Mirror’.
The band ended their set with ‘Punching Bag’, immediately after that ‘You’re Welcome’ by Dwayne Johnson from the Disney movie Moana started playing. During this, the band was bowing at the front and giving out guitar picks, setlists and drumsticks. Danziger folded his setlist into a paper aeroplane before flying it into the crowd, while Carson jumped down to the barricade to give the fans high fives and handshakes. The energy in the room was still ecstatic, this sold-out show only proved how Set It Off has been growing steadily and is ready for an even bigger show next time.
