Paint it Black / Hope Conspiracy / Have Heart / Damnation AD / Crime in Stereo / LetxDown / 1.6.08

First Unitarian Church
7PM

Heather and I got there late and missed Let Down (I heard they were the same as usual - fast, short, angry, edge), and Crime In Stereo (I heard, as expected, that the singer can't pull of the new songs). Luckily we were still able to get our copies of the "Goliath" 7 inch, which was going for over $50 on ebay later (not ours, other kids').

Damnation isn't my thing aside from huge amps. Neither are Have Heart. Kids do definitely go off for them though, and it's obvious that Philly is finally catching on to them being on of the biggest bands in hardcore.

Hope Conspiracy came out led by Kevin Baker (bearded, strongly resembling Leonidas from 300) and immediately kicked everyone in the room's ass. They sounded huge and totally ferocious for the entire 45 minute set. Old songs opened up huge pits, and anything from the new album ("BORING" proclaimed a heckler) got kids up front piling on. They ended with "They Know Not" which sounded strange as a closer and not an opener, but it was definitely great to see them back and in Philly. Hopefully it won't be four-five years until the next time.

Paint it Black played a similar set to the night prior, but opened with "Past Tense.." and played a few other new songs (including "Goliath"). They also didn't end with "Memorial Day" which was strange, but they were still fantastic. Yemin sounded a bit worn out from the night before, and his voice cracked often, which only added to the ferocity. Great end to the weekend.