This past Tuesday, November 10th, Issues took over New Haven with Polyphia, Lil Aaron and Sleep Token while on their latest tour in support of their recently released album Beautiful Oblivion. The tour kicked off on November seventh in Oklahoma City and will come to an end December 15th at the House of Blues in Orlando, Florida. Issues brought on a diverse line of support for this run with artists ranging across a variety of genres that made for a unique experience.
The night began with a band by the name of Sleep Token from the UK. I heard that these guys are a little bit newer to the scene, but they managed to steal the attention from everyone at the show. They had such an intriguing sound, finding the perfect balance between moody low-fi indie and progressive metal. Everyone was loving it, the faces of everyone around me were priceless as they realized how good this band actually is. I can already tell that Sleep Token is going to have a massive impact on the next generation of metal, and I can’t wait to see what they’re going to be up to next. Everything from their sound, stage presence and general aesthetic was spot on and left a definite impression on everyone that got to witness their performance.
Lil Aaron was next, mixing things up a little bit with a taste of West Coast hip hop. The audience was taken by surprise a little bit with the change of pace, but vibed with it regardless. Lil Aaron put on quite the show, interacting with the crowd and maintaining a playful, lighthearted act.
By the time intrumetal legends Polpyhia took to the stage, fans were packed in and ready to go. I could tell these guys had quite the dedicated following. As soon as they started playing, everyone was dancing and even singing along to the intricate guitar riffs. They played a good mix of songs that spanned across their discography, mixing it up between their light melodic tunes and their heavier riff-y pieces. It’s not often you see an instrumental band captivate an audience the way Polyphia does, and they do a spectacular job of it time and time again. If you haven’t heard of these guys before, it’s definitely recommended you check them out as you will not regret it.
At last, it was time for Issues to take the stage and fans were excited as ever. The murmur of the crowd lingered through the venue as the band silently took their places, and with a dramatic flair the lights came up and they snapped into action. They opened with a “Here’s To You”, a new song off of their new album Beautiful Oblivion and followed with one of the album’s singles “Drink About It”. There had been rumors floating around that Issues was planning on playing through the entirety of Beautiful Oblivion on this run, but I quickly realized that their plans must have changed when they played “Never Lose Your Flame” from their earlier days. I’m not gonna lie, I felt quite nostalgic during parts of their set and found myself glad that they had changed their minds about the setlist. Overall their set was a blast, and I thoroughly enjoyed every act on the bill. If you haven’t caught on of the shows on this tour, you better get yourself a ticket and don’t miss out on a night you won’t forget.
Comments