A Semi-Brief Introduction to Dance Gavin Dance
Dance Gavin Dance, as every metalcore band likes to describe itself, is a “band that transcends genre classification”. The thing that makes them particularly interesting within the genre is that they really do mean it. The band broke onto the scene in 2005, with Will Swan’s guitar work notably driving much of their rapid popularity within the metalcore and “Warped Tour” scenes. His style has proven to be incredibly influential over the past 20 years, spawning its own offshoot of metalcore/post-hardcore known as “Swancore”. Over the years, the band has seen a handful of vocalists come and go, but since 2024, Andrew Wells (also of Eidola) has featured as their lead vocalist. Beyond these lead vocalist changes, their core has generally remained the same. Jon Mess, Will Swan, and Matt Mingus have been with the band since its inception, with the only additional change to their lineup being the promotion of Sergio Medina (of Royal Coda, Nova Charisma, Stolas, Sianvar, and Eidola) from touring guitarist to permanent member.
The Concert, as experienced by WKNC’s Dance Gavin Dance Last.FM Crown Holder
Before I begin, I feel obligated to make my biases clear. I have seen Dance Gavin Dance more times than I can count, at this point. I have sat through awful, awful viking metal openers to see them perform. So take that as you will. Additionally, my transportation to this particular event was less than satisfactory, and as such, my partner and I ended up missing the first opener. Their lead vocalist did, however, come out later on in the night– More on that later.
Travel issues aside, we were able to catch HORSE the Band’s set, which was definitely interesting! Their schtick seemed to be a sort of modern Nintendocore, which was a concept briefly popular in the mid-2000s that fizzled out in the mainstream shortly thereafter. HORSE the Band executed this genre merge in a different style than their chipgrind ancestors, but I still didn’t find it grabbing me. Personally, I was hoping this tour stop would feature The Fall of Troy (another band I hold the crown for…). Despite HTB not being my cup of tea, I did enjoy the general theatrics of their performance. They had a member of the band serving in a sort of “John Goblikon”-esque hypeman role, running around the audience and jumping all around the stage as their lead vocalist posed dramatically in a golden throne they had dragged centerstage. When he wasn’t sprinting through the aisles, he would occasionally strike a triangle. If I had a nickel for every time I’ve seen a band with a dedicated triangle player, I would have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot! But isn’t that weird that it happened twice?
Dance Gavin Dance was the main attraction, and as per usual, they did not fail to follow through. This tour isn’t for any particular album, but the recent release of “Tree City Sessions 3”, the third in a series of albums consisting of re-recordings of previous tracks, was reflected in the setlist. The addition of Andrew Wells full-time has been pretty exciting, since his vocal range allows the band to play some of their older songs from albums like Downtown Battle Mountain 1 and 2, respectively. This concert featured “Surprise! I’m From Cuba, Everyone Has One Brain” which I have played on my show before, so that was awesome to hear it played live. Sergio Medina and Andrew Wells are both incredible live performers in particular, both are always very active throughout the duration of the show. I have been a big fan of Sergio Medina since his touring guitarist days, mostly due in part to his incredible physicality and skill while doing so. Andrew Wells was very interactive with the crowd, which is something that I do enjoy during concerts like this. It is fun to be human and have human interactions with people who you think are cool! Once their set “ended”, they left the stage for a while before returning to perform three more songs. For their final song, they brought out Camille Contreras, the lead vocalist of Novelists, to perform “Inspire the Liars”. It was a nice vocal combo between her and Andrew Wells, she has a strong alto voice and it’s always nice to see more women in this scene.
General Thoughts
I had a great time, overall! I usually find it easy to enjoy live music regardless of genre and band familiarity (unless it’s the aforementioned terrible viking metal), so I’m happy I got to see the wacky live show antics of HORSE the Band. Dance Gavin Dance continues to stun with stellar, impassioned live performances that truly demonstrate why they’ve been able to stick around for so long in their own special niche. The blend of Will Swan’s unique, “noodle-y” guitar, Jon Mess’ classic unclean vocals, and Andrew Wells’ powerful, dynamic voice is always a pleasure to witness live. I am beyond grateful to have had the opportunity to see them again on behalf of the station, and am pleased to share that I will be seeing them again in January 2027! I love awesome post-hardcore!
Signing off……
rensenware ≽^•⩊•^≼