Aftershock 2024’s lineup included several bands that casual fans of emo and pop punk may recognize, such as pseudo-headliner Sleeping with Sirens.
Other recognizable names in the scene included D.R.U.G.S, Set It Off, Hawthorne Heights and Evanescence. But here are a few highlight shows you may have missed over the weekend.
The Funeral Portrait
Emotional-hardcore band The Funeral Portrait started their first ever Aftershock performance strong with a Thursday noon set, opening with a song off their most recent album “Greetings from Suffocate City.”
“I’ve been trying to come to these festivals just as a fan for so long, but now I’m getting to play them,” lead singer Lee Jennings said. “Normally we’re in 250 cap clubs and sweating on people, so like, even having a barricade is weird.”
Following the release of “Greetings from Suffocate City,” Jennings said the band plans to work on a new album throughout the next year that will hopefully build off their last installment. Jennings said the band hopes the development process will be smoother, now that they have a stronger sense of themselves lyrically and musically.
“There will be lots of touring next year and writing lots of music because it took us about five years to write this record,” Jennings said. “I have so much to say, and I had so much more to say on this record that I wasn’t able to. So now it’s like, ‘Let’s go.’”
Jennings said he hopes to collaborate with other musicians in the scene, such as Amy Lee and Danny Elfman, for The Funeral Portrait’s future music. Jennings said that Evanescence was one of the first concerts he’d ever been to.
“I just want Amy Lee, because I love her,” Jennings said. “I love her voice, I love what she stands for and I’ve been following her forever.”
Currently, The Funeral Portrait is on tour throughout the United States, with dates spanning until Nov. 17. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.
RELATED: High-voltage performances to expect at Aftershock 2024
Point North
While not strictly emo, Pop punk band Point North can find a home amongst lovers of adjacent bands such as A Day to Remember, All Time Low and other pop punk or emo artists.
After dropping some recent singles, the band said they’re experimenting with their music to make it sound like the interlocking of two worlds: a heavy rock festival act and a more poppy, formulaic identity.
“We’re very rhythmically focused, now that we can be heavier, and we can take a lot of chances on that sort of thing,” guitarist Andy Hershey said. “We always challenge ourselves to incite emotions and feelings on a much deeper level too.”
Their Aftershock performance wasn’t their first festival performance with a larger crowd this year. Only a couple weeks before, they played at Louisville, Kentucky’s Louder than Life festival.
The band emphasized the importance of interacting with the audience during shows, describing it as an acquired yet necessary skill when playing their sets.
“Fan interaction is everything that fuels us,” Hershey said. “Not only is it important to us, but keeping up that momentum and that communication is so vital, and it always has been to us.”
Point North is preparing for a European tour starting in early February, including shows with another Aftershock band, Set It off. Coming up on a year since their last album “Prepare for Despair,” Point North has been releasing singles in preparation for a new album.
“It’s our first time playing in Europe and our second time playing in the UK. So we are just looking forward to getting over there,” Hershey said. “Not just with our buddies, but to connect with these fans that have been waiting years and years to see us.”
Tickets for the last leg of their North American tour and their upcoming European dates can be found on their website.
Saosin
Orange County rock band Saosin is no stranger to emo and post-hardcore genres, having started in 2003. They performed early Saturday evening, setting off the latter half of the setlist for that day.
Guitarist Beau Burchell said the band hoped to play a set where concert-goers could get the most out of attending.
“We tried to put together a set where we can just blast through it and not talk,” Burchell said. “I’ve definitely gone to watch bands play, and I’m like ‘Cool,’ but then the singer goes on a five-minute rant, and I’m like, ‘Dude, I could’ve been watching this other band.’”
They made sure to include fan-favorites “Seven Years” and “You Are Not Alone,” two of the band’s favorite songs to play, according to Saosin.
Lead vocalist Cove Reber said that “Seven Years” was the song that convinced him to join Saosin. Burchell said “You Are Not Alone” is often a song that gets the crowd emotional at live shows.
“We started closing the show with ‘You Are Not Alone,’ and the first 2000 people in the rows in front of me, they all started crying,” Burchell said. “We were looking at each other on stage and we were like, ‘I think I’m gonna cry!’”
The band enjoys seeing the emotional impact their music has on their fans during their shows. Saosin promised new music in the works, as well as re-recordings of their older music to release in the coming years.
“The goal is to get another record out, and then the other thing we’re working on is re-recording our self-titled album,” Burchell said. “My big joke is that we’re going to have new music, and then ‘new-old’ music happening.”
Currently, Saosin is set to play at When We Were Young Fest Oct. 19, alongside other big names like My Chemical Romance and Pierce the Veil.
Some honorable mentions post-hardcore fans might appreciate include Breaking Benjamin, Falling in Reverse and Hawthorne Heights.
If you missed this year’s performances, don’t sweat – Aftershock will be back with an all-new lineup in 2025 that will surely satisfy your alt music needs.
