Armor for Sleep Brings Pop- Punk Nostalgia to Grand Rapids

On Wednesday, June 17, Armor for Sleep brought their tour to the Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids, Michigan featuring Flycatcher and Spanish Love Songs. It was a night filled with energy and awesome bands. At first the there weren’t a lot of people at the show filling the room when Flycatcher came on, but soon the room was teeming with people ready to let loose on a Wednesday night. 

Armor For Sleep

Flycatcher took me by surprise. I had never seen the band before, nor had I listened to them, but they brought amazing energy, starting the show off right. The band, from New Jersey, are indie-punk and emo powerhouses. Formed in 2017, the four members of the band graced the stage. Anthemic riffs swept through the crowd of mingling concert-goers, a crowd which had begun filling out the room nicely. The power and emotion brought forth from the vocals of their singer — Gregory Thomas Pease — was immaculate, and they encapsulate what I really love about early 2000s emo/pop punk style music, which this definitely was.

Flycatcher

Spanish Love Songs is a band I listened to as a teenager, but fell off for some reason. I started listening to them again knowing I was going to attend this show, and some of these songs brought me right back to a much simpler, yet chaotic time of my life. The band—founded in 2013—formed in Los Angeles California. The emotion portrayed through the lyrics of the songs this band sings are a gut punch. The guitars, drums, and keyboard meld together perfectly, to create a cohesive blend of musical styles.

Spanish Love Songs

From the opening track “Routine Pain” to the closing track “Losers 2” the band had the crowd jumping up and down and singing to the lyrics, opening their hearts to a band that, I’m sure, has saved many lives with their emotionally driven lyrics. Also, Spanish Love Songs was my favorite performance of the night. It was a nostalgia trip listening to some of these songs live, songs that helped me when I was struggling as a teenager. 

Armor For Sleep is a band I had never really listened to before. I knew their song “Car Underwater” in passing (it was a super popular emo fueled jam back in the day) but other than that the band escaped me. They blew me away live. From the energy of each member of the band; the pummeling drums, and riffs which shuddered the speakers on each side of the stage, the emotional lyrics…they are just a fun time.

Armor For Sleep

The crowd had grown massive by this point, a sea of people jumping up and down, head banging, and staring attentively as the band delivered a very memorable set. I always enjoy a good emo, pop punk band and this show delivered for all three of the performances. They really set the bar high, especially for bands that have been around for a longer time.