The Amity Affliction Brings in Spring Like a Lion At The Knitting Factory

Spring has officially sprung and The Amity Affliction brought down the house in the best way possible at the Knitting Factory on March 22nd. Following up on their blockbuster tour celebrating ten years of “Let the Ocean Take Me”, this tour has been hit after hit from the Australian metalcore band. With support from their friends in Unwell, Many Eyes, and Hail the Sun they brought such an infectious energy to Spokane.

Kicking off the night with an early start was Unwell. Unwell is a metalcore band with pop-punk influences that hails from Detroit, Michigan. Relatively new to the scene, Unwell dropped their freshman album in 2021. With Matt Copely giving the band their clean vocals with bassist Drew Bender adding in the screams, their sound scratches all the right parts of the brain.

They debuted their new single "Airless" and covered one of my favorite songs "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman. The whole set was fast paced and got the crowd pumped for the following acts, even though the show started a bit earlier than expected.

I had the opportunity to speak with Matt, Joe, and Chris at their merch table after the show and they're all so unbelievably sweet. Their van broke down, so all the proceeds from merch sales on Saturday were going to getting it fixed.

Next up was Many Eyes. Led by the ex-Every Time I Die vocalist Keith Buckley, Many Eyes released their debut album "The Light Age" on September 6th, 2022. However, Buckley states that "This is an expression of who I am. I'm letting the music do the talking." and ended the statement with "I'm not interested in being known as a frontman. I just want to be another part of the band who uses his own instrument to complete the picture."

Influenced by the sounds of Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Nirvana, and Pearl Jam, they've found their own groove that began with a shared appreciation for the 90s hard rock and alternative. Buckley takes his experiences before and after the road to sobriety, and it really shows how far he's come and how much wiser he's become now that he's at a place in his life and career that he can truly thrive.

Hail the Sun hails from Chico, California and was founded in 2009. With lead singer Donovan Melero (who also doubled as drummer during the set), they fit nicely in the American post-hardcore sound that is severely lacking in the scene.

They have a nice balance of songs that translate better live as opposed to their studio sound. They had the kind of energy that I haven't seen in quite some time, and it was as if Melero was truly at home commanding people's attention and keeping it there. Releasing their sixth studio album "Divine Inner Tension" in 2023, it was the first album that did not feature Melero on the drums, they introduced Allen Casilas and he fits right in where Melero left off.

The Amity Affliction took the stage by storm, coming out strong and didn't hold back at all throughout the set. The energy they give off is electrical and you can tell that they've found their happiness on stage. Even though the band has had their share of roster changes over the past two decades, their sound never wavers.

Birch hit the stage with "Pittsburgh" and the crowd went absolutely wild. I could feel the barricade vibrating with the energy behind me and it was so infectious to see everyone screaming lyrics back up at him. He has such a magnetic pull that it’s hard not to be drawn in almost immediately.

One of the things I admire is that The Amity Affliction isn't afraid to touch on subjects that some might find difficult to swallow. Their lyrics are highly personal and touch on things that I, myself can relate to; depression and anxiety, and everything that comes along with.

Founded in 2002, they've come so far in the scene and made sure that nobody could ever forget them or the sound they bring. As someone who is fairly new to their music, "All My Friends are Dead" hit me the hardest as well as "It's Hell Down Here".

Closing the show with an encore performance of “Soak Me in Bleach”. Their 2021 single that made everyone come running back inside the venue when they realized that the show wasn’t over just quite yet.