[Review] ForeverandNever w/ We Are The Finale, Blameshift, & Fit For Rivals | 7.30.14 @ 12th & Porter

[band name here]. Photo by [photographer here].

ForeverandNever, We Are The Finale, Blameshift, Fit For Rivals
12th And Porter, Nashville, TN
July 30, 2014
Review by John Masserini

It’s tough to beat a small venue rock show, especially when half of the bill features homegrown, local artists. ForeverandNever and We Are The Finale joined up with currently on tour Blameshift and Fit For Rivals for one loud and energetic show at 12th & Porter. Overall, it was a fun night with lots of great music and you can read about all the details below!

Florida rockers Fit For Rivals opened up the show, and they certainly set the bar high. It was easy to tell that once they hit the stage, that this was going to be one seriously rocking show. What surprised me the most was that, even as the first opener, the sextet sounded far more “radio ready” than most other artists in their position. All of the songs that were unleashed upon the crowd sounded as if they were coming from a band that has been around for 10 or 15 years and has had much more time to mature, not a band that’s been around off and on for just a couple of years. Unfortunately, the crowd was rather small, but it was easy to tell that most of the people there were into what they were hearing. We should be getting a new Fit For Rivals album soon, and, based on what this show was like, there’s quite a chance that the album will blow them up. If you don’t know about them now, you’ll know about them soon.

Up next were northern rockers, Blameshift. Even with a rather small crowd, they adeptly captured them. The crowd was becoming far more involved, moving and jumping around far more than would be expected at a smaller show like this one. That made it really fun to watch, since Blameshift sounded not only astounding, but also everyone seemed to truly be just having a great time.

The third band of the night was also my biggest surprise of the night, We Are The Finale. It’s tough to really compare them to anyone because they sound so unique. As great as their EP, The Magic Show Act 1,  from earlier this year is, the songs from it sound even better live. Although the heavy riffs and the scream vocals may not be everyone’s cup of tea, We Are The Finale is a band that should not be overlooked. In a genre that is flooded with too many bands that sound very similar, We Are The Finale kept me mesmerized throughout their entire set.  So much so, that I listened to them even more on the ride home. After seeing them live, it’s easy to see why they were nominated for multiple awards around Nashville even though they have yet to put out a full-length album.

Closing out the night was another local rock band in ForeverandNever. Unfortunately, some of the crowd had left at this point (presumably since it was getting late on a weeknight), but, even with a smaller crowd, they made it seem like they were playing to a packed house.  Alt-rock spans many different types of music, and ForeverandNever incorporate that into each of their songs with some softer songs, some faster and heavier songs. If you missed them this time, I definitely recommend checking them out when they return to 12th and Porter in September.