by photojournalist Ryan Marchese
If you were in downtown St. Pete Friday night, the horns you heard blaring weren’t from cars during First Friday but courtesy of Streetlight Manifesto rocking the hell out of a packed Jannus Live. The 8-piece band offers a unique, signature sound even among the niche ska-punk genre. Hailing from my home state of NJ, they combine fast paced, aggressive guitars with heavy drums, an intricate horn line, multiple vocalists, and lyrics that resonate deeply. This distinct blend is responsible for their loyal and loving fanbase that always shows up when they come around.
Hot Rod Circuit accompanied Streetlight on this leg of the tour as their opener. Don’t let that fool you though; they drew in a good size crowd for an early night. Originally from Alabama, these guys have been making you feel your feelings since 1997! This is the second year in a row I’ve caught HRC at Jannus, but my first time seeing the original lineup. These dudes are a lot of fun and this band is an underappreciated gem when it comes to the emo scene. Hearing HRC play now unlocks core memories of being a teenager, with all the anxiety and excitement and doubt and frustration, but with the benefit of having survived and grown past all those things. The best part about seeing these guys live though is how much fun they have with each other. Jay gave off serious Golden Retriever energy headbanging one minute and the next laying his head on Andy’s shoulder in an intimate moment. On the other side of the stage, Casey spent as much time in the air as he did on the stage. If you haven’t seen HRC at Jannus, make sure to keep an eye out for them in the future.
The trumpet blasts into the foreground of the composition demanding your attention, before the technical tapping of the snare enters, followed by the accompaniment of horn melodies, growing into this musical monstrosity that is “Oooo.” Streetlight put their newly released instrumental track front and center to kick things off. Back in June, the band released half of the album they’ve been working on, The Place Behind the Stars, and me likey. Due to delays, the full album hasn’t dropped yet, but I am very excited for new music after 13 years, especially after hearing some of it live. Their set included “Enormous,” “All the Pieces,” and “Imagine This” off the new album, a good amount from their debut album Everything Goes Numb, and a mixed bag of tracks from between. Although the new tracks sound great, the crowd definitely responded the most to those off Everything Goes Numb. Songs like “Point/Counterpoint” and “A Better Place, a Better Time” had everyone in the audience singing along at the top of their lungs, even drowning out Tomas at times. It was the epitome of the magic that is experiencing live music.
As far as shows go, this one was short, but sweet. It’s not often a concert is announced with only two bands on the bill, but this was most certainly a “less is more situation.” Both of these bands have been around for decades, but until recently they haven’t released much in the way of new music. So it’s not surprising that the crowd had a lot of punks and Rudies my age that have been listening to the same albums, fondly, since their teenage years. What was great to see, however, were all the Rude Boys and Rude Girls that had little Rudies of their own. Knowing that the next generation of fans for bands like these exists is comforting. In a world filled with constant bad news and dread, seeing kids forging memories with their oversized headphones two-stepping alongside their parents is really wholesome.
