Story and Photos: Linsey Gividen
I walked into the Waiting Room, stuck my photo pass to my chest, and scurried to the front of the stage as I heard the first few notes blare from the front of the room. I ducked into the photo pit alone and began snapping pictures.
BRKN Love opened the show with a powerful bang. Their entire band was placed at the edge of the stage and the music radiated outwards to the excited listeners. I had not been expecting a mosh-pit that night but boy was there a rowdy crowd. BRKN Love stole the hearts of the audience with their charismatic charm and their resonating bass lines.
We were all blown away by the lead singer’s amazing range. His pitch and smooth voice took the stage and had us all in awe. The whole band also had glorious hair and were extremely kind as they manned their merch stand after their set. I ended up buying one of their sweatshirts and have worn it for four days straight now.
‘68 was next and their set up was quite peculiar. They had the drum set facing the singer/guitarist which had me intrigued. The duo proclaim themselves to be rock and they would be extremely correct. The drummer had one of the most intense workouts I had ever seen and the guitarist kicked and jumped around the stage. I remember walking back out of the photo pit to go find my boyfriend.
Not to my surprise, I looked through the crowd and saw him and his curly hair bouncing up and down across the mosh pit. His roommate described him as a bunny rabbit as we continued to enjoy the show. The music was intense and the lyrics while the guitar’s notes stung through the air. My friends loved their music and I’d have to agree. The duo brought an aggressive and revival style of rock to the venue. One of my friends asked how they got their name and the drummer said it was the year of the car that one of their dad’s had.
Badflower was up next and as I waited, looking over my pictures, someone tapped my shoulder. I jumped and looked up to see a man. He introduced himself as the tour manager and told me that Badflower would have an amazing light show for some good shots.
I positioned myself and chatted with the other photographer who showed up during ‘68. His name is Jaydn and he works for Guerrilla Graphics. He hadn’t been to the Waiting Room before and was surprised to see the small photo pit we had to work with. Most photographers I’ve shot with don’t really converse so it was a pleasant surprise.
Lights went out and the members of Badflower began to line up on stage as large lights in the shape of Xs lit up red. The lead singer came out with a cow print guitar and they began the show with an energetic beat. Their sound reminds me of classic punk rock. The lights blinked in the back and filled the venue with color while the band filled the place with music. One guy shouted out “I’m a Badflower virgin!” The lead singer grinned and replied “and now here we are…” He stated a profanity I’m not sure I can repeat but his response got a laugh from the crowd. The crowd continued to throw items on stage throughout the set.
At the end of the show my boyfriend returned to our group after moshing and explained that an angry mom had pulled his hair and gone to punch him. Another guy had grabbed him while another girl tried to punch him as well. His comments have deterred me from moshing forever but I thoroughly enjoyed the nostalgic punk rock sound these bands brought.
Badflower's tour continues through the U.S. and Canada until May 18. Then the band is off to the UK and Europe later this summer. Badflower's latest release This Is How The World Ends is available now on all streaming platforms.
Big thanks to Badflower's management for photo access!
Check out the galleries below. If you like our content please take a minute to follow our socials. It's completely free and it helps keep us going. You can find us on Facebook and Instagram @storiesfromthecrowd. We're on Twitter @crowd_stories
Badflower
68'
Brkn Love
Like that one? Check this out next:
