Posted January 9, 2018 by Kailey Howell Concert Reviews & Galleries

Boys of Fall – St. Andrews Hall – 1.5.18

Boys of Fall, Stories Untold, Lilac Lungs, The Illustrator, Loser & Gold Route
St. Andrews Hall – Detroit, MI – 1.5.2018
Photographer: Kailey Howell

Detroit-based rock band Boys of Fall played their first headlining show since June 2016 last weekend at St. Andrews Hall in Detroit. Accompanying the band was their close friends in Stories Untold, Lilac Lungs, The Illustrator, Loser and Gold Route.

After announcing the end of the band, Boys of Fall never truly stopped making music, but restrained from playing live shows. This fall, the band broke back into the scene with the release of their new single ‘No Good for Me’ along with the news that they signed with InVogue Records.

Gold Route opened the evening, setting the energy for the evening, with vocalist Sean Hazen immediately interacting with the crowd. The pop-punk band just released their latest music video for ‘Living Now’ over Thanksgiving.

Loser was definitely one of the heaviest bands of the evening, playing what they define as a mix of “nu metal” and “grunge”. Their set included their song ‘Kool Kidz’ from their debut LP I’m Not the Same released last year.

The crowd that evening was genuine, with the large community of the Detroit local scene coming together. It seemed like one couldn’t walk a few feet without running into a friend as everyone was constantly greeting one another.

The Illustrator has not played a set in months, but they brought all new music to the stage that evening. Vocalist Sean Hill was all over the stage, adding to the theatrical rock genre that the band embodies. Hill climbed onto the barrier with the crowd claiming “I’ve been wanting to stand on there since I was younger.”

Lilac Lungs brought a change of pace, as the indie band took the stage. Vocalist Emily Torres is a bubble of energy on stage, constantly smiling and dancing. The band successfully released their debut LP Eventide last year. Their set included a cover of Whitney Houston’s ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)’.

Local favorite Stories Untold was the direct support for the show. The band signed to Razor & Tie Records just last year, and re-released their debut album Can’t Go Home. The band opened with “Too True To Be Good’, and it felt like every single person in the crowd was singing back. The band closed their set with bassist Jake Clark requesting to take a selfie with the crowd, bringing everyone closer together.

As the crowd began chanting “Boys of Fall”, anticipation filled the room. Vocalist Michael Martenson ran onto the stage full of smiles. The band opened with their single ‘Thanks For the Burgers” as the crowd went ecstatic. The entire band was full of energy; one never would’ve assumed they hadn’t headlined a show since June 2016.

The two new members of the band since the farewell included Dan Quigley on guitar and Victor Yousof on the drums. Jake Cemer’s harmonies complimented Martenson’s vocals perfectly.

In addition favorites such as ‘Looking on the Bright Side’, the band premiered a brand new song; ‘Chasing Lonely’. The energy was high throughout the entire set. Guitarist Eli Sleeker never stopped jumping and singing along.

The band concluded with an encore of “I Learned My Lesson” which introduced a wave of crowd surfers. The end of the set left fans not only excited that Boys of Fall is back, but for what’s in store.

Boys of Fall will be touring this February with We Were Sharks alongside Belmont and Sink the Ship.

Check out our interview with Michael Martenson before the show here where we chatted about what the band has coming up.

Be sure to follow Boys of Fall on Twitter here to follow along with their comeback!

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