It was your typical Sunday. Stores were closed, sidewalks were bare and excitement was nowhere to be found until later in the evening. Going to the Backstage Enterprises for the Folly show with a head cold was leaving me restless and stuffy so I wasn't as optimistic as I normally am. Could this have affected the general review of the show? Absolutely not as New Jersey's homegrown Folly performance was hellacious and wasfull of spontaneity.
For a venue as small as the Backstage in Kingston, the acoustics inside aren't junky at all. Standing in the far left corner, I could hear them clearly and the audience would agree that they were tight and performed as a unit. Guitarists Agim Colaku and Geoff Towle had a few technical difficulties throughout the set (which appeared to be different for every show on the tour), but nothing disastrous and drummer Anthony Wille and bassist Arben Colaku were on point. Using a distortion pedal for some songs in the set, vocalist Jon Turmillo introduced Folly virgins to a Shai Hulud sound fused with Less Than Jake and Thursday. If there was any band that could mesh three different stylized genres together it would be Folly.
It was also an advantage of theirs considering that both the audience and the area respectively is a mix of metalcore/emo/punk/ska hybrids. There is not one distinct "scene" in the Wilkes-Barre area but an ecclectic mix all around. The kids here are universal in their tastes for music and are open-minded to hearing new sounds.
From the moment they started setting up on stage, the first thing that caught my eye was vocalist Jon Turmillo pulling up a costume to reveal a cow suit. This already set my suspicions; was he out of state or out of his mind? This simple act alone got the crowd bursting into laughter and you can see the anticipation of the 30+ crowd for the show. Starting off the set with a song from their newest album, Resist Convenience, Turmillo was amped to perform and it had shown in his crazy antics and shrilling screams. It was his energy that collectively had the rest of the audience tapping their feet and starting a small mosh pit. His interaction with the audeience was also very intimate and I can speak on that first-hand--- he put a cow hat on my head. Luckily no flash photography was taken of this, but it did exactly what it was intended to do and that was keep the crowd pleased.
The audience seemed to also be alert thanks to the bands who played prior.
Anterrabae, a hardcore /metal band hailing from Long Island, NY and Wilkes-Barre's very own four piece metal ensemble Monarch had the small audience on its feet and in eager anticipation for Folly to perform. I know that Anterrabae was performing its
last show on their tour with Folly, hence the reason why Turmillo wore the cow costume as tradition. Monarch has a sound that is parallel to that of Folly so a lineup like this was ideal and went off without a hitch.
Despite the fact that I was under the weather I thought this show was sterling for numerous reasons aside from the above stated. Starting at an early hour (starting at 6:30 and finishing by 8:45) got the audience out at a decent hour and for those who still attended school, it would have them home at a decent hour for classes the next day. I think the show also flowed well from band to band thanks in part to Eric Davis, the man behind Bombs Away Booking and the commander-in-chief of the show that night. Sets were brought up and broken down effortlessly and bands started on time the whole evening. Overall, I could say that I would've been pissed if I didn't attend and I'm glad that I did.
For more information on these bands check just click on the pictures and you will be directed to their website for upcoming news and tour dates.
Our Rating: 4 stars
- Alisha @ Audio Commentary
