Miss May I at The Blender Theatre

October 26– Hardcore band Miss May I stormed the stage of The Blender Theatre when they opened for Attack Attack! on the Shred Til You’re Dead Tour. Performing a set filled with high octane energy, intense breakdowns, and fierce hair-whipping, this band from Troy, Ohio was a captivating spectacle live.

Miss May I’s live performance can only be described as unique. As vocalist Levi Benton threw down intense guttural growls, he swung his long hair in unison with guitarist Justin Aufdenkampe, all the while bassist Ryan Neff and guitarist B.J. Stead frantically paced and jumped back and forth on stage, and drummer Jerod Boyd feverishly swatted away at his drums and licked his drumsticks– the band’s stage presence was extremely apparent.

Miss May I’s members worked well together on stage. Every member was perfectly on cue and their songs were rocking, for lack of a better term. Their setlist consisted of songs from their debut album, Apologies Are for the Weak, including Architect, Dance of Aera Cura, and newest single Forgive and Forget. They also played their popular cover of hip-hop singer Savage’s song, Swing, which was easily one of the best songs of the entire night– nothing is more entertaining than a metalcore cover of a hip-hop song that opens up a handful of mosh pits and get audience members crowd surfing.

While the band’s genre of music may not be for the feint of heart, they fit in perfectly with the rest of the bands of this tour, and although bands featured in a tour like The Shred Til You’re Dead Tour have a habit of blending in with each other (for example, Our Last Night), Miss May I’s set had the right balance of stage presence and skill to set them apart from the other bands. They played the best set of the night, and I cannot wait to see what they can do on a headlining tour of their own.