Photos / Review: What’s In Your Head Tour – Bad Wolves and From Ashes To New in Portland, Maine

Who: What’s In Your Head tour – Bad Wolves and From Ashes To New with Diamante

Where: Aura, Portland, Maine

When: June 13, 2018

Bad Wolves and From Ashes To New came to Portland, Maine as part of their co-headlining “What’s In Your Head” tour.

Opener Diamante took to the stage first to start the night off. Diamante’s debut album Coming In Hot released on June 15, two days after the show, and she performed tracks off of that album. Instantly recognizable with her bright blue hair, Diamante brought the energy up from the minute she took the stage. She did a great job of singing to the audience everywhere in the venue, including the people sitting on the balcony. Her set was high-energy and the setlist reflected that, with picks like “Had Enough,” “Bulletproof,” and “War Cry.” The audience connected with Diamante easily; she had excellent stage presence and the energy did not dip. Diamante’s set was a great example for proving why you should always get to a venue early to watch the opener. She is an artist that you need to start following, because there is no doubt she will be headlining her own tour soon enough.

From Ashes To New had the earlier headlining slot. The Pennsylvania band has been steadily climbing in popularity over the years and released their album The Future earlier this year. They had plenty of fans in the audience who were obviously there to see their set. Their setlist flowed well and they played a lot of audience favorites, including “My Fight,” “Crazy,” and “Through It All.” Even if you are not a fan of From Ashes To New’s music, you will have to admit that their live show is impressive. They were energetic, getting the audience to jump with them. Vocalists Danny Case and Matt Brandyberry played off of each other well. The great thing about both vocalists was that they were able to cover the entire audience easily and their connection with the audience seemed to come really effortlessly and naturally. From Ashes To New’s live show is memorable and one that you should definitely catch.

Bad Wolves exploded recently with their cover of “Zombie,” but their set proved that they have much more in their arsenal than just a great cover. The members of Bad Wolves are all industry veterans and it shows; they all looked extremely comfortable. Vocalist Tommy Vext did an excellent job of connecting with the audience; he reached out to grasp hands with those along the barricade frequently throughout the show. Those who were sitting or standing further away were not ignored, either. Their set was full of tracks off of their recently released debut album Disobey, including “Officer Down,” “Remember When,” “Hear Me Now” for which Diamante was brought back onstage to sing her part, and of course “Zombie,” which ended the night. Bad Wolves were impressive; their energy was electric and the audience responded in kind. After seeing them live, it is obvious that Bad Wolves are not just a lot of hype; they can hold their own against any of the top names in the game and they are a highly recommended band to see live.

The What’s In Your Head tour stop in Portland, Maine brought three top-notch acts who are all on their way to great things. Additionally, every single band went to their merch tables to meet their fans at the end of the show, which no doubt gained them even more fans. Every single band is highly recommended to see live. The venue, Aura, is also highly recommended. The acoustics were great and let the bands shine. It was a great show at a great venue.

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Post and photos by Karen Shalev

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