H2O and Terror Co-Headline Tour – REVIEW

We went to the Chicago date of H2O and Terror’s co-headline tour with support from Backtrack and Code Orange Kids. You can check out our review after the break.

Terror and H2O made their way to Chicago to play one of my favorite venues, The Bottom Lounge. This venue, which used to be located in the Lake View neighborhood, is nestled in the Near West Side/ Fulton Market area of Chicago. The two hardcore bands, from Los Angeles (Terror) and New York (H2O) brought with them hardcore band Backtrack from New York and hardcore/ punk (or according to any of my friends, powerviolence) band Code Orange Kids from Pittsburgh.

Code Orange Kids opened and I will admit I came into the show with low expectations. I had heard them before on Facebook and had seen videos of them playing live, and I wasn’t too impressed. A hardcore band with their drummer as one of the main vocalists and a… GIRL as a vocalist too? Now maybe I should be excited and shouting “Girl-power!” about all of this, but I just saw it as a gimmick. However, when the drums started and a side-by-side began in the mosh pit, I did get a little excited. Then BAM! They started playing. A minute in, I was blown away. They’re definitely a band that sounds much better live than on a record or video. I think Reba, the female vocalist, is actually more talented than their drummer, Jami, although his voice just needed to grow on me as their set went on. Needless to say, I anticipate seeing them play another show in the future.

Next up was Backtrack. They were obviously well known by most of the crowd, as the majority of the patrons were shouting the lyrics along with them. They started with one of their most popular songs called “Erase the Rat.” Throughout the set, they played songs such as “Red Handed”, “Life’s Plan”, and ended with “Darker Half” which is the name of their latest album. The vocalist Vitalo is exciting to watch on stage, jumping around and getting into the music just as much as the fans. Having seen them a few times now, they’re a band I will always make time to see when they’re in town, as they never disappoint.

Terror played after Backtrack, and I could not have been more excited. They happen to be one of my favorite bands, so once their vocalist Scott came on stage, I got chills. They’re one of the oldest hardcore bands still active in the scene and even have a new album coming out soon called “Live By The Code”. They played songs off of many of their albums, including classics like “One With The Underdogs”, “Always The Hard Way”, and “Spit My Rage” which included a guest vocal by Shane Merrill of Chicago hardcore band The Killer. They also played two new songs, the title song “Live By The Code” and “Hard Lessons.” The crowd went wild for Terror with stage dives, head walks, and a lot of moshing.

The last band of the night was H2O, whom I had never seen before. They don’t play Chicago often and are another hardcore band that has been in the scene for years. Everyone seemed extremely excited for them to play, and they were likely the most anticipated band on the bill. They started with “1995” and everyone went crazy. The fans that were singing along were much older than those of Code Orange Kids and Backtrack, as both of those bands are newer to the hardcore scene. Their vocalist Toby Morse is a motivational speaker and a role model for many people in hardcore and in the Straight-Edge scene, and just makes you feel like you’re a part of something special.  They played other songs such as “Sunday,” “Fair-weather Friend,”  “One Life One Chance,” “Faster Than The World,” and finally ended with “What Happened.” Everyone went nuts for “What Happened” which says a lot about a band if you can keep the energy high throughout the whole set and to the end.

Information about the review…
Tour: H2O and Terror Co-Headline Tour
Bands: H2O, Terror, Backtrack, Code Orange Kids
Reviewer: Katie Simpson
Date: February 22, 2013
Venue: Bottom Lounge in Chicago, IL