Holding Absence, Casey, Capstan

South Side Music Hall, Dallas, TX

January 28, 2024

Live Review and Gallery by: Grace Forrester

Welsh rock group Holding Absence, in the middle of the US leg of their tour for their newest album The Noble Art of Self Destruction, played a jam-packed show along with supporting acts from the bands Casey and Capstan. The Encore Nights had the privilege to capture their Dallas, TX show before they wrap up their headline tour to join Pierce the Veil and Dayseeker later this spring.

The first act to perform was Capstan, a five-piece pop punk group lead by Anthony Demario and based in Florida. Their stage presence was magnetic from the beginning to say the least, as they started the setlist with the song “Bete Noire”. From personal experience, sometimes some band members are more fluid and passionate on stage than others, whether they’re not feeling the crowd or just more reserved in general, but it’s safe to say that everyone’s energy was amped-up this time around with no one feeling left out. A moment that sticks out was the bassist Andrew Bozymowski pointing out into the crowd, daring everyone if someone like him can rock out to the extent that he does, that they can too. By the end of their set, the crowd was jumping around and loving the last song “Wax Poetic”.

The second and last opener to perform was the band Casey. As mentioned before, their lead vocalist had not been on the tour for several shows, so their guitarist Toby Evans took over for most of the songs. Also hailing from South Wales just like Holding Absence, Casey blends beautiful melodies with a tough, post-hardcore sound. A few surprise appearances made their way to the stage, with members of their touring crew, even their merch seller, taking over for the scream vocals. By the end of the set, their last song “Little Bird” had hyped up the crowd tenfold since the beginning on the night, preparing everyone for the last act to own the stage.

Finally, Holding Absence stormed the stage with flair. Lead vocalist Lucas Woodland kicked off with a bang, jumping around the stage and preforming moves that could make a gymnast jealous. Watching the diehard fans on the barricade bouncing and singing back to the first song of their set “Celebration Song” was heartwarming to see. Being a fairly new fan of the band personally, those overflowing emotions of pure joy is something anyone could connect to. The setlist itself was a balanced mix of all their projects, giving each era it’s time in the spotlight to show their love and appreciation to every fan in the crowd, new and old. Towards the end of the show, they did not hesitate to not only thank those in the crowd for attending, but to their supporting acts as well for sticking through the hurdles the tour has thrown their way. To wind down the show on a high note, they played some of their biggest songs including “In Circles” and their newest hit “ A Crooked Melody”. As a lone, brave crowd surfer made their way towards the stage, Holding Absence ended the night with their biggest song to date “Afterlife” and the beautifully haunting “Wilt”.

The US portion of the tour continues into next month as they travel towards the east coast, finishing February 17. With a month-long break, Holding Absence will then open for Pierce the Veil as they take The Jaws of Life Tour throughout Europe and the UK this spring and a one-off appearance in Mexico City on December 1 . If you are able to catch them, I could not recommend them enough. If you want a night full of chaotic fun and a feeling of emo nostalgia, this show is the one for you. Dates and tickets for the rest of their tour can be found here of the band’s official website.