Boy Sets Fire
October 5th
West Hollywood, CA
The Troubadour
By Jess Redmon

The music of Boy Sets Fire can be described in many ways; impassionate, thought provoking, socially conscious, intense, and genuine. The live show from the Delaware quintet, a progressive hardcore band who hasn’t forgotten their punk rock roots, encompasses all of those qualities and more.

Kicking off the set with the call to action anthem “After The Eulogy”, leader Nathan Gray empowers the crowd into a searing chant of “Rise! Rise! Rise!”. With fists in the air at every mention of the word, the crowd looked like a political demonstration at Capitol Hill, Gray lead his coup into the rhetorical, “Where’s your anger? Where your fucking rage?”. With one sudden action, Boy Sets Fire gave an introverted L.A. audience some meaning.

Touring in support of their recently released EP “Live For Today”, Boy Sets Fire introduced a new set staple and fitting anthem, “Release The Dogs”. Gray prefaced the song by saying it was in response to the events that followed after 9/11. The stern offering is the band's response to the wave of militarism that followed the 9/11 attacks and the actions that worked to erode the basic freedoms in the United States.

With as much conviction as they could muster, Boy Sets Fire unleashed a ravaging version of ‘Dogs’. Guitarists Josh Latshaw and Chad Istvan thrashed from opposite spectrums of the stage, laying down a dense wall of piercing post-hardcore riffs. Although a new track, “Release The Dogs” felt very much at home with its consistent style and was already memorized by many in attendance. Gray was especially compelling with the song’s hard hitting chorus “Invest our freedom in failure by design /Hands tied with pleasure now we're choking on their cum / Guided deception allegiance to a goal / That never mattered until they told us so”.

Although Boy Sets Fire’s are better known for their heavier material, the band is incredibly captivating with their emotional ballads. As “My Life In The Knife Trade” started its first few words, it was incredibly evident that the song meant a lot to the audience. The song left the band on stage vulnerable, though no less powerful in their performance. Gray lead the softly spoken sing along, his voice overshadowed by the audience at times.

Boy Sets Fire unleashed another new track on the audience with the melee, “Curtain Call”. Back to the basics, the song didn’t cause much reaction, though calmed the storm before the impending finale, “Rookie”. The set had been brewing, leading up to one of the powerful anthems of the past several years. The enduring classic “Rookie” eased into tension with its signature gritty guitar lines and thundering bass undertow. Finishing off a strong set, Boy Sets Fire gave the audience what they wanted with a blistering version.

Boy Sets Fire are defiant in their means to be more than just a band, to have a voice. At most shows it’s all too common to have the band thank the audience for being there and to tell them they are the reason why they do what they do. For Boy Sets Fire, when they say this, it seems to carry more weight. With many bands out there who get more jaded each time they hit the stage, Boy Sets Fire are still humble and thankful to have an audience who listen with an open mind to their music and their message. Boy Sets Fire are one of the few rock bands currently out on the road with conviction, heart and integrity. Their agenda isn’t hidden; they just want people to open their mind and to realize what’s going on in the world.