Throughout our lives there are days that we never forget. The first time you hit a homerun, the day you met your best friend, your first F and the day you graduate college. All of these are important and awesome milestones in our lives. However for me I have music milestones. I may or may not hold them a little higher, maybe. For instance, I can tell you about the first time I saw Thursday and how it made me feel. Or even the first time I heard AFI or even my first concert at the age of 7. It was Kool and the Gang by the way. I have many more music dates in my head, like my first Warped Tour, easily one of the best days of my life but this isn’t about that. This is about February 27, 2016. A day that is forever etched or burned into my cerebrum.

Over the years I have been to my fair share of album release shows so I wasn’t expecting the one for Heroes Like Villains to be any different, except I knew their EP was really good and I was excited to hear those songs live. However it just wasn’t Heroes like Villains that made this a night not to forget, it was the entire bill. This was a night that Columbus pop-punk was on display and if you were not there you missed the start of something great. Something that two weeks later people are still talking about. It was just that amazing of a show.

First band of the night was Sleepjacket. They are a newer band to the local scene here in Columbus. If there were to be an odd man out on this show, it was these guys as they are more of an alternative band. However they have emo and pop-punk influences, which I picked up on. This was my third time seeing them and it was by far the best I have seen them. This is a band that is only going to get better with time. And I for one am excited about it. I missed a good chunk of their set. I walked in while they were playing “Diablesa” which happens to be my favorite song of theirs. It has one of those catchy choruses, “I’m sleeping with the enemy”, that you find yourself singing at random times. The highlight of their set was a cover of “The Plot to Bomb the Panhandle” by A Day to Remember. As far as I can remember this was the first time I’ve heard anyone cover ADTR. They absolutely nailed it. It was dead on. From what I saw/heard Sleepjacket’s set was solid. I look forward to seeing them in the future.

Next up was We Are the Movies, a local 5 piece pop-punk unit. This was my second time seeing them and man I do not know what it was but I was instantly transported back to Valdosta, GA, 2001 and all the punk shows I was going to. Our local scene back home at that point was fire. That was the peak of it and it was great. I spent the next 30 minutes or so back there and it was magical. What I don’t understand is why anyone hadn’t told me about this band before last month. In our growing pop-punk scene they very well might be the best when it comes to stage presence. Their set is everything a pop-punk show should be. The energy they possessed that night was unmatched. They truly are a throwback to 2000s era pop punk and the song “Fault Lines” is one example of that. To hear that live was something special and it was at that moment that I knew tonight was going to be one for the books. Be on the lookout for their new EP later this month. And a review here at Tuned Up.

Break Up Lines was next to grace the stage. This Cincinnati 4 piece pop punk band was the first of 2 Cincy bands to play on this night. This is a band that is quickly gaining momentum in their hometown. I saw them a month earlier when they played the Settle Your Scores CD release show and they may have stolen the show then. That crowd went nuts for them. And I think most of that crowd made the trip up to Columbus for this show because there were a lot of BUL fans at this show and they knew every word to every song. The thing that is captivating about their live show is the energy they bring. These four guys know how to entertain. As long as them, a few other bands and the next band are around Cincinnati will have a good scene for years to come. Which is an awesome thing, because then Columbus and Cincy can form an untouchable alliance of pop-punk that is only rivaled by NJ/Long Island or even SoCal. HA!

This next band really needs no introduction, as they have become a Tuned Up favorite over the past few months. They were part of our 60 Ohio bands to watch in 2016 and they were also mentioned in an easy core piece that was posted last week. That band is Settle Your Scores. This Cincinnati 5 piece pop-punk/easy core band are quickly becoming stars in their own right. This may have been one of the last chances to see them in a venue this size and man they did not disappoint. From that first note of “Just because you shot Jesse James, Don’t make you Jesse James” to the last note of “Worst Intentions” it was a set of pure vivacity and sing along. Every time I see SYS they are better than the last. They are indeed a well-oiled machine. If I had to mention a low point of the set, it would be that they did not cover Four Year Strong. I always look forward to that cover because they do it so well and how often do we see FYS in Ohio? However we did get to hear the Pokémon theme song which was nice, since it was the 20^th anniversary of Pikachu and his friends. Earlier in this article I mentioned growing up home and going to pop-punk shows and how those were the best days of my life, well this set solidified that feeling for the night. Even at my age I can still relate to these songs. And to see others singing along to the same songs that I am, is something special. Trust me when I say Settle Your Scores is a band that is on the rise.

Last but not least, we have the reason this night took place, the talented, the astounding, and the breathtaking and handsome fellas in Heroes Like Villains. On this night we were celebrating the release of their EP “Amends” which was released on February 2^nd, 2016. An EP which was reviewed right here at Tuned Up. This is a band that has quickly made a name for themselves here in the Columbus scene and on this night they were at the top of their game. Everything was on point, from Myles’s animal like drumming, to Ryan’s chaotic bass playing to the cohesiveness of Josh and Dan on guitar to the angelic and at times demonic vocals of David, this is a band that is ready to take on the world and possibly save it. I have seen them many times but none better than this night and if they continue at this rate things are only going to get better for this 5 piece. They even covered a new song, “Tear in my Heart” by Twenty-One Pilots. It was well done. As one that doesn’t listen to them, I can appreciate this cover. And if you have ever seen HLV then you are aware that they cover “Shut up and Dance” by Walk the Moon – well yes they still did that as well. Two Ohio bands, I wonder, could we be seeing a pattern? Any who if I had to pick a highlight of their set it was doing the song “Amends”. There is a point around the 2:53 mark where David hits this crazy insane note. It was one of my highpoints on the EP and I was curious to see if it would translate over live well. Well it did, he killed it. After this show Heroes Like Villains very well might be my new favorite local band. I also appreciate the passion that they play with and how they want to be the best at what they do. I truly think this is a band that is on the verge of something awesome. And this night was just the start.

You can catch most of these bands playing soon.

Sleepjacket

April 5^th @ Double Happiness with Restorations and Creepoid

We are the Movies

March 26^th @ Scarlet and Grey (CD release show)

Settle Your Scores

April 9^th @ Donatos with Second Story Anthem

Heroes like Villains

March 26^th @Scarlet and Grey (We are the Movies Cd release show)

May 14^th-Tuned Up Presents Steadfast Festival (Oceanspeak, Take One Car, The Soil and the Sun, Vagabonds and more)