ASKING ALEXANDRIA / MEMPHIS MARY TO GO LIVE AT TOUD'S PLACE
By Kat Gullage
This stop at Toad's Place for Asking Alexandria and their “All My Friends” tour was one of three consecutive sold out dates. The friends they brought with them were; Memphis May Fire, The Word Alive and Archers.
The area around Toad's was full of people. Located across the street from Yale and surrounded by shops and restaurants. You had to sign a waiver before you could enter, basically stating “if you fall on our slippery floor or get hurt by the moshing, you can't sue Toad's or their affiliates.” You then had to pass the walk through metal detector and bar test before entering the club.
Holy crap the place was already packed! And some of these people were even fans of the first band, the Archers, which I didn't know. They are based out of Madison WI and consist of Oscar Porter (Bass/Vocals), Nathanael Pulley (Vocals), Ben Koehler (Guitars) and Grayson Mesarosh (Drums). The Archers played a quick seven-song set featuring tracks from their two EPs, All I Have Left and New Normal.
They kicked it off with 'Drag Me Out', 'Making Eyes', 'Say This Sober' and their new single 'Made For Love'. I like that Porter and Pulley share vocals, but Pulley's voice was overpowered by the music. He clearly came in when he pleased the crowd and gave the obligatory shout out to the other acts on the bill. “Before You Go”, “Bitter” and “Blackmarketmonkeymagic” closed the Archers show. I like the variety in their catalog, from non-grunt to grunt. Check them out for yourself!
The crowd continued to file into the club as The Word Alive took the stage for a quick set. The metalcore band from Phoenix, AZ has had a lot of employee turnover on its journey, yet releases new music almost every two years. They have seven studio albums and pulled out of five for the set. Tyler Smith (vocals), Daniel Nelson (Drums), Jose DelRio (Guitars) and I believe Logan Abernethy (Guitars).
The title track 'Hard Reset' opened their show and followed Fraud“The Hounds of Anubis”, Dark Matter's “Trapped” and Hard reset“Night Future”. The band was energetic and the fans were more responsive towards the latter part of the set. Tyler thanked the crowd and all the acts. They wrapped me up Obsession“Death Is Only The End If You Assume The Story Is About You”, the title track “Life Cycles” and another Hard reset track, “One of Us”. Word Alive had sound issues and relied more on growling vocals (which fans ate up). They were a decent addition to the lineup, so give them a listen and see if they fit your vibe.
By the time Memphis May Fire took the stage, the crowd had erupted, the urge to dive and surf and jump coming off them in waves. I'm sure the band members felt it too as they took their respective seats. Matty Mullins (vocals), Kellen McGregor (Guitar/Backing Vocals), Cory Elder (Bass) and Jake Garland (Drums) kicked off their eleven-track set, culled from three of their seven studio albums, with ” Necessary Evil”. a 2024 single. Crowd surfing started on the first note. Three of Remade In Misery was on deck with “Left For Dead”, “Bleed Me Dry” and “Somebody”. The sound quality was clear and everyone was having a great time.
A big difference from the last time I saw them, which was at the first Capulet Fest. This version of the infamous local festival took place, but was plagued by sound and other issues that affected the MMF's performance. This concert did them right. Matty addressed the rousing crowd “We are here because of you! Buying merchandise, going to shows!' The club was packed and the crowd surfing didn't stop even when the music stopped.
Challenger's “Vices” and The HollowHis “The Sinner” was released before Matty addressed the fans again “Come to New Haven! Do so!”. He waved his arms from side to side and the packed club imitated him, “Jump!” his orders were obeyed once more. “Thank you very much, you are a beautiful crowd! We have released new songs. Like what you hear? Are you thinking of making a new one now? I want a sing-a-long. Right, I want to hear you sing along! You know what time it is in New Haven!”.
This was the lead into one of their 2024 singles, “Chaotic”. “You guys are amazing. Quit for the other bands. I feel like I'm playing another new one, you're all so nice in New Haven.” Another single, “Infection,” was on deck. “New Haven, will you be my choir next time?” “Make Believe” was the track and a series of cell phones appeared. “Connecticut, can we be a little louder this time? Prove it!” Four cannon shot smoke straight ahead. “New Haven, are you still with us?” The bouncing crowd apparently was. “Our pain is as important as our pleasure. Are you ready?!” “Misery” was the answer and I completely buckled.
There were quite a few Memphis May Fire fans in the room, I saw people who knew the lyrics to the song from the front barricade back to the soundboard. The smoke cannons went off again for the closing song, 'Blood & Water'. Matty announced “I want to have a video of all your pretty faces!” They dimmed the house lights to shoot the video, so the moshers and surfers finally got a break. “We love this city! We promise we will be back! Thank you for an incredible evening!”. Check out this established metalcore band on the rise! The Memphis May Fire originates from Denton, TX, which is 240 miles from Memphis, TX and 488 miles from Memphis, TN.
Asking Alexandria is a hard/metalcore band from England. They had a revolving door of band members in and out, but still released nine studio albums since their inception at the turn of the decade. Fan favorite Danny Worsnop (Lead Vocals/Guitar), left handed guitarist Cameron Liddell, Sam Bettley (Bass), James Cassells (Drums) and Paul Bartolome (Guitar/Backing Vocals) welcomed a raucous crowd ready to bounce. . And mosh. And jumping, and crowd surfing.
Asking AlexandriaHis sixteen-song set touched on six of their nine studio albums. They opened it with the medley “Welcome / Dear Insanity”. Reckless & Merciless. They were loud as hell. I speak shaking loudly. Immediately after 'Down To Hell', the house lights came on and Danny thanked and greeted the excited fans. Then he started walking around. “This is my third shirt today, I'm holding onto things.”
We all just looked and made eye contact. “I'm removing because a bunch of stuff just stopped working. I don't usually talk about fashion up here. I started to feel sick, I feel sick and before we went on stage (gestures to his left) he said “I've got to feel good for tonight”. This was met with laughter and cheers. “What are you cheering for? This is the show! The whole show! Good night!”. The fans were like, “Oh shit.”
Very quickly Danny said “We're back!” “Jump! Jump! Fuck you! Are you coming to have a good time or what? Then let's have a good time!” A piece of Asking Alexandria“Into The Fire”, has the floor moving non-stop. The music was louder than Danny's vocals, but I could still understand him. The crowd was there for it, they sang it word for word. “Where did he go?” it held, but the vocals were completely washed out in the quieter part.
“Okay, okay, in the middle of the room. Clear a path. You know how that works!” I couldn't believe my eyes. A mini wall of death at Toad's played in “Dark Void” by Where do we go from here?. Danny and the guitarists then motioned for a circle pit to begin. “James wanted to play his favorite song. I said, James, if you send me a picture of you in a compromising position, we'll do it. So here's James' favorite tune!” It was “Things Could Be Different”. “Are you bringing your singing voices?”
We got Danny and an acoustic version of “Someone, Somewhere.” I really appreciated the break from the ear assault and Danny's voice really came through. The crowd surfing continued. Asking Alexandria he served it to the hungry crowd. “I Don't Need You” by Like a House on FireFrom Death To Destiny“Moving On”, “To The Stage” and two of Stand up and scream“If you can't ride two horses at once…you should get out of the circus” and “A Prophecy”. What a night to be alive!!
Audiences are going wild for “The Final Episode.” Danny yells “Thank you so much!” and the room darkens. The moshing and surfing continued as everyone clamored for more. The band came out again very quickly. “We'll make another one for you”. And the other was “Don't pray for me.” “We said one more, but do you mind if we do two? Now is your last chance!! Want to crowd surf and mosh and all that? This is your last chance! Right now!”
I've been to a bunch of shows and I've never seen so many crowd surfers at Toad's. The major also shouts gratitude to the safety in the area. They picked surfers out of the crowd and lifted them over the barrier, one by one, with ease and professionalism. All! Night! Long! The incredibly energetic fans were treated to perhaps the band's best-known hit, 'Alone in a Room'.
This venue, with this crowd, put on a really fun show. Last time I saw Asking Alexandria they were opening for Seether and Staind. There was some kind of medical incident in the pit at that concert, so they had to stop the show for a few moments. After that, no one really danced, hopped or moved. Worst crowd ever. At a club like this, with all their dedicated fans, they created a much better experience. Check them out for yourself.
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