Better Lovers are making the rounds again, this time with a new full-length LP, Highly Irresponsible, released earlier this Fall. The hardcore mash-up of ex-Dillinger Escape Plan and ex-Every Time I Die members recently brought their show to So-Cal, and I had the pleasure of seeing how things have been going since last year. They brought along midwestern Shoegazers, Cloakroom, Hardcore Punk quintet SPY, and Grindcore act Full of Hell.
After getting stuck in traffic due to multiple accidents on the freeway, I found myself arriving just in time to catch the end of Cloakroom's set. Next up were SPY from Nor-Cal. The audience seemed anxious to get riled up and Spy were just the band to do it. A clash of hardcore dancers and circle pitters occupied the floor while the band roared on stage.
Full of Hell followed. I'm unsure if there were mic issues at the start, or if the band just played that loud, but frontman Dylan Walker was inaudible at the beginning of the set. It was a bit jarring to see Walker throw his head around with constant screaming faces but not hear anything. It seemed to be fixed by the second song, though the band did indeed just play so loud that it was still difficult to hear him.
Better Lovers were about to take the Observatory stage. The last time the band played here, it was in a small room no bigger than a Starbucks that sits inside the Observatory. The 1200-capacity room was packed by the time their intro track, a hodge-podge of songs about, or including the word "Love," began to play. It was a different vibe, but the energy in the room was the same. The band jumped into "Lie Between the Lines" from their new album, Highly Irresponsible. The band amped up the production with a half dozen strobes to mess with your senses and add to the chaos as frontman, Greg Puciato, screams in your face.
The band continued to chip away at tracks from Highly Irresponsible like "Future Myopia" and "Love as an Act of Rebellion," as well as throwing in tracks from their debut EP and singles "The Flowering" and "Two Alive Amongst the Dead." Crowd surfers made their way to the front aplenty. A small child even appeared to be offered up as a sacrifice. Don't worry, she made it back to her father. Better Lovers never faltered and ripped through their set without ever taking much of a breather. The band is only getting better. The night reached its apex as they jumped into their last song of the night, "30 Under 13." The crowd saw it as their last chance to go all out, so a few didn't hesitate to make their way onto the stage to head-walk or stage dive. Everyone in Better Lovers has been doing this for a long time. Between a new album that rips and an intense live show, it's clear that they have no intentions of slowing down. Be sure to catch them when they tour with Poison the Well in 2025!
