Kicking off the show was Stray View. Stray View is a hard rock band from Dallas, Texas that formed in 2023. Fronted by former Crown The Empire David Escamilla with Brandon Rodriquez on guitar, Jake Lewis on bass and Lukas Vitullo on drums. Stray View arrived onto the scene with their debut single “What's Done is Done”, released in November 2023. Stray View caught the attention of Hopeless Records and announced their signing with the label on May 6th, 2024. It’s only been up from there as Stray View released more captivating music and are now in full swing of their first full tour.
Stray View took the stage with a roar eruption from the crowd. They opened with their track “Who You Really Are” released in 2024. Next up was a recent track called “Come Down” which was released on March 21st. Escamilla hasn’t skipped a beat as his clean and scream vocals brought the house down. His stage presence as a frontman is just as good as he had fans jumping and waving their hands on his command. Fans adored their ability to transition from memorable hard rock choruses to metalcore style breakdowns. Rodriguez and Lewis brought the best out of those breakdowns with their handy work on guitar and bass. Vitullo topped it off perfectly smashing away on the cymbals and snares. The sound of the drums boomed through the venue and had fans banging their head all the way through the set. The last song they played was “The Riddle” which was released in 2024. David demanded the crowd give everything they had as he serenaded the crowd with his cleans followed by brutal screams that had fans cheering until the end.
Next up was the hometown heroes in Oxymorrons. Oxymorrons isn’t new to the New York City scene. Oxymorrons set the NYC scene ablaze since their formation in the mid 2010’s. Originating from Queens, Oxymorrons has fused rap, hip hop and rock to perfection creating an energetic live experience that fans of both genres can enjoy. Led by vocalist brothers who go by Demi “Deee” and Kami “KI” complemented by the immensely talented Jafe Paulino on vocals, bass and guitar with the equally talented Matty Mayz on drums. Oxymorrons has played shows with standout acts such as Bad Omens, Corey Taylor and Avatar. Dozens of fans sported Oxymorrons apparel as this was a much anticipated show for them because it’s been a while since they played a show in the heart of NYC.
The group took the stage with a wave of red lights illuminating the venue alongside a heavy bass beat. The instrumentals hit and Deee unleashed a long scream as KI jumped around on stage getting the crowd amped up early. The first song up was “Enemy”, the first track from their 2023 album “Melanin Punk”. Ki and Dee mesh perfectly together as they sing and rap in complete unison. When one is singing the other is dancing around gathering the attention of the crowd. In between songs they made sure to remind fans that their name is spelt with "two Rs not one”. When Dee yelled “TWO R’S” the sold out crowd yelled “NOT ONE” back. Songs like “Insomnia” and “Melanin Punk” showed off the incredible talent of Paulino as he can shred with the best while providing vocals. Mayz is a pro at dropping fast beats, keeping things fast and energetic. Oxymorrons thanked the crowd for one of their best shows yet and they ended the set with “Justice”. The fans were waving their hands in the air the whole track and just like that their set was over and the fans were demanding more. One last time they chanted “TWO R’S, NOT ONE”
Keeping things rolling was Nevertel. Nevertel is a rock band originating in Tampa, Florida. Forming in 2014 the band is fronted by vocalist Jeremy Michael, guitarists Raul Lopez and Alec Davis with Kevin Marks on drums. Currently signed to Epitaph Records, Nevertel found influence in multiple genres such as metalcore, rap, hip hop and EDM. Nevertel has played multiple large shows with giant acts such as Falling In Reverse, Beartooth and Dayseeker. Nevertel kicked off their set with “Losing Faith”. The lights went out and an eerie voice played as Marks took the stage first slamming some notes as the anticipation soared. Those notes led into a quick drum solo that showed off the talents of Marks early. Then it went pitch black again and when the lights went back on the whole band was on stage unleashing the first song. This song put on display the multi talented Lopez as he would play guitar and then take the mic and rap the verses.
The vibes were immaculate until Nevertel played “sym”. Michael asked for full crowd participation for this one. Things were about to get wild as he asked for a circle pit. The pit finally opened up and fans ran in a circle like a track meet. Lopez began rapping as Marks kicked in another slick punk beat. Michael showed off his power to transition from clean vocals to screams. His screams had the crowd spinning faster than before. Before the breakdown, Lopez demanded the crowd to push the pit back and that they did. Davis ripped the breakdown and it hit like a ton of bricks. The pit went insane as both Michael and Lopez hit grueling screams. Nevertel slowed things down again when they played “Some Things”. Lopez had the crowd wave their phones in the air with their lights on as Michael serenaded the crowd in a surreal experience. Nevertel ended off their set with “Criminal”, their latest track released on May 5th. The crowd was on their feet for this song. The room was bouncing and the infectious energy and the band moving along with the crowd. One last breakdown from Davis has the crowd banging their head until the end of the song. Nevertel left a lasting impression on the crowd and made plenty of new fans.
Now it was time for the much anticipated headliner. One of the fastest growing acts in music was about to step onto the stage and rip a set to a sold out NYC crowd. This band is Sleep Theory. Sleep Theory is a rock band originating from Memphis, Tennessee. The group formed in 2019 and has taken the rock world by storm. Sleep Theory is led by frontman Cullen Moore with Paolo Vergara on bass and brothers Daniel Pruitt on guitar and Ben Pruitt on drums. Sleep Theory is currently signed with Epitaph Records and has amassed over 2.3 million monthly listeners on Spotify. The legend of Sleep Theory began when Moore retired from the army and followed his true passion in life. This passion was music. Ever since he was a kid, he wanted to have a career in music, but he chose the safe career route originally and joined the army. Moore is grateful for how the army shaped him as a person, but he ultimately followed his heart and pursued music.
After years in the studio back home in Memphis, he met Vergara at a birthday where Vergara performed “My Heart” by Paramore. Soon after they recruited the Pruitt brothers and dropped their debut single “Another Way” in 2023 alongside their debut EP 'Paper Hearts'. The track went viral on TikTok reaching over half a million people in just 36 hours. Fast forward to the present day and Sleep Theory has supported bands such as Beartooth, Shinedown, Wage War and Falling In Reverse. Now, they released their latest album “Afterglow”; an emotional whirlwind where any person can relate to. Sleep Theory has won the hearts of millions and won’t be slowing down anytime soon. They booked their first full headlining tour and sold out NYC twice. The sky's the limit for Sleep Theory and they had a jam packed 20 song setlist to rock the world of everyone in the crowd.
Sleep Theory kicked off the set with “Fallout”. This is their most popular song with over 26 million streams on Spotify. This track also hit #1 on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart. This song is led by the screams of Daniel Pruitt. His screams complement Moore’s clean vocals incredibly well as the song is topped off with a crushing breakdown. Daniel Pruitt’s metalcore style vocals alongside the snare bombs from his brother Ben. Up next was “Enough”. This track comes from their debut EP 'Paper Hearts' which was released in September 2023. The song is an emotional ballad that had the crowd singing. The stage production added a wonderful touch to the show as two screens to the left and right of the drums displayed graphics and lyrics on them as the lights flashed in coordinated colors. The set was in full swing, but it was about to take a fun twist.
Anyone who has seen Sleep Theory knows that they love to toss some covers into their live performance. This time they played four covers. The first one being “Can You Stand The Rain” originally by Boyz II Men. Moore explained the band's love for R&B inspired this cover. The next one had the whole crowd screaming the words. A staple to their live performance, this song was “Bye Bye Bye” by NSYNC. The crowd went crazy for this one. Fans locked arms and jumped around while screaming their hearts out. Next was a cover of the aforementioned “My Heart” by Paramore; the story of how Moore and Vergara met inspired this cover. Vergara showed off his angelic vocals as he performed most of the vocals until Moore joined him in unison. Moore decided to take time to thank the bands who got the show started. He had the crowd cheer for Stray View and Oxymorrons. As he was getting ready to thank Nevetel, then lights and mic started flickering and glitching. Next thing you know Nevertel takes the stage alongside Sleep Theory and performed “Break The Silence” together; which is an unreleased song from Nevertel’s upcoming album “Start Again”. The crowd gave Nevertel a rousing applause as Moore thanked them for joining them on stage.
As we got closer to the end of the set, the crowd didn’t let up. The pit was moving and fans were still singing along. The next song also hit #1 on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart. This song was “Stuck In My Head”. Vergara and Daniel Pruit locked in with a bouncy riff that had everyone jumping. Ben Pruitt layed down a catchy beat that also contributed to the high energy. Moore put his angelic vocals on display as he can hit any note high or low. His voice is smooth like butter and fans have fallen in love with it since the beginning. Next up ws “Numb”, a track from the Paper Hearts EP. Another song hitting over 25 million streams. The pit went absolutely crazy for the breakdown as Moore showed his ability to scream. Fans brought out their best ninja moves in the pit. It was time for the last song. Moore demanded dozens of crowd surfers for their last song. This song was “Static”. A song of pure good energy and bouncy riffs had everyone going crazy. Fans had their hands up jumping around while the rest crowd surfed. The breakdown kicked in and Daniel Pruitt gave his last scream his all. Moore danced on stage and confetti cannons went off and the whole room was filled with confetti.
Sleep Theory rocked the world of every person in the room on the first of two sold out NYC shows. The legacy of Sleep Theory continues to grow and won't be letting up anytime soon. Next up for the band after this tour is supporting Falling In Reverse on select dates in the fall. Keep a close eye on Sleep Theory as you do not want to miss anything they have lined up in the future.
