Stick To Your Guns returned to Athens after six years. The anticipation for the show, as expected, was great, especially in the years following the pandemic and the forceful halt in live music. People of all ages made their way to our beloved basement on April 12th 2023 to celebrate with the Californian trailblazer the release of their latest album, "Spectre".
First on stage was local act Eden Demise. A rather fitting choice for this show, the Athens heavyweights proved they still got it. And while warming the crowd up can be a dreadful task for any opening act, the quintet didn't fret and was able to get kids moving at the front from the very beginning of their set. The energy was electrifying, and it was impossible to tell that these guys hadn't played a show in years. On the downside, while sound was definitely on heir side, lights weren't so please excuse the lack of viewing material.
At around 22:30, Stick to Your Guns hit the stage with "Nobody". Despite the limited space, guitarists Josh James and Chris Rawson were jumping from the get-go, while vocalist Jesse Barnett was engulfed in the crowd in the first row, which was loudly singing along. I had genuinely missed the chaos that usually surrounds STYG performances, especially in intimate club shows like this. The venue was quite packed, which was refreshing, and the makeshift "dancefloor" wouldn't stop moving for the entire evening. The carefully curated setlist resembled a "best of" selection, celebrating the majority of the band's catalogue, also paying special homage to "Diamond" which turns 10 this year.
I jokingly said that people really didn't appreciate how outrageously out of key I could have been singing, and I honestly mean it; the second "Married To The Noise" hit, I could feel a big smile creeping on my face, which stayed there through "Such Pain", "Nothing You Can Do To Me" and "Weapon". STYG poured their hearts and souls out like they always do, making this one of the best shows I've seen them playing over the years. And if I'm being honest, the night is quite the blur, as my fan side took over the journalist side, and was immersed in the spectacle before me, but I do remember bits and parts clear as day; the band dedicating "Hush" to our buddies in Malignant, old friends coming out from hardcore retirement, Jesse delivering spine-chilling speeches and smiling ear to ear, and of course stage divers flying all over the place, only taking small breaks for "The Suspend" where, inevitably, things slowed down.
The pace picked back up with "Amber" where, as expected, true mayhem ensued, followed by "Universal Language" and the anthemic "We Still Believe". Reaching almost the end of the show didn't mean losing momentum though; both the band and the audience kept going strong, determined to make this an absolute night to remember. It came as no surprise that "What Choice Did You Give Us" was strategically placed at that point in the setlist, paving the way for "Against Them All" and its big singalongs to end the show. The tinnitus music is still ringing in my ears, my throat was somewhat sore the next day (still, I didn't go as hard as I would have wanted), but my heart was filled with joy. I sincerely hope it won't take them another six years to come back.
And on a personal side note: ΜΩΡΗ. ΜΠΑΝΤΑΡΑ.
All pictures courtesy of Dearohwell photography
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