Well rested from Labor Day the day prior, Indianapolis gathered in full force to sell out Old National Center on a Tuesday for Bilmuri. The opening bands, Novelists and Knuckle Puck, did not come to play when it came to warming up the crowd with anticipation building more and more with every song. Novelists has quickly carved a space for themselves in the scene, and their live performance proved they came to play. Indiana’s midwest neighbors from Illinois, Knuckle Puck, were met with a warm welcome back from indy’s familiar local scene as fans spent more time jumping in the air than standing still from the front to very back of the Egyptian Room.
Keep Up With Novelists HERE!
Keep Up With Knuckle Puck HERE!
As the stagehands placed the final pieces in place and the hype music died down, an incredible saxophone cover of Halo blared to life through the speakers as Gabi Rose and fellow Bilmuri live members took to the stage. Mini inflatable pigs burst out into the crowd perfectly on brand as Bilmuri rolled right into opening the Kinda Hard tour with its namesake song sending the crowd into a controlled frenzy of movement. With an impeccable, though simple, stage production featuring perfectly curated bright and bold lighting alongside chains dangling from the rafters, the crowd knew exactly what was expected of them and never let the energy drop. The band ripped right through a roughly 25 song set with no hesitation featuring a good chunk of songs from Bilmuri’s newest album “Kinda Hard” where Novelists joined the stage for their feature on “Where to Find Me” in the back half of the setlist. All around fan favorites like “FLUORIDEINTHESELTZERWATER, The End, A Hogman’s Delight, Empty Handed” and more were perfectly mixed in between through the setlist to create a well rounded musical experience. All around fans were jumping, dancing, and singing their hearts out to every song as a chorus of 2000+ attendees echoed every word.
The only slight slow moment came when Johnny Franck stepped back and took in the massive crowd before him, which brought one of the most heartfelt moments on stage where he thanked every single person for putting the songs he wrote in his moms basement on a platform, with the newest album “Kinda Hard” reaching #2 on spotify. Sheer gratefulness emanated from the band as they wore nothing but smiles and expressed their gratitude for giving them this purpose and changing their lives, being in awe of the sold out room on a weekday.
Johnny Franck and Gabi Rose are a force to be reckoned with in the world of live performances, easily ranking as one of the best shows I’ve been to in my lifetime. You rarely encounter a live saxophonist at a metalcore show, and what an incredible experience it is to witness the elevated stage presence that Gabi Rose brings to Bilmuri with not only the saxophone, but a flute and killer vocals that create a top tier performance.
While Bilmuri does lean into pop in their genre bending compositions, the crowd still brought everything you would expect to see at a traditional metalcore show, successfully executing a wall of death, a mosh pit that didn’t quit, and crowdsurfers during the less heavy songs with “2016 Cavaliers (Ohio)” really being the late set catalyst to send a stream of crowdsurfers up to security from all sides of the crowd, including myself to get that true first hand magical adrenaline fueled experience of screaming your favorite song while floating over the barricade. Anytime someone dropped or fell in the pit, they were instantly helped back up or to their feet which is the most magical showcasing of camaraderie that is so special in the alternative music space. Though there was no encore, the set came to a perfect close as confetti sprinkled through the air for the closing chorus of “Better Hell (Thicc Boi)” and the remnants of adrenaline and joy buzzed through the room concluding a core memory for every fan in attendance.
Keep Up With Bilmuri HERE!
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