Northlane in Tampa

Hidden Beats

We Are Story Tellers

Under looming clouds, metal fans gathered at The Orpheum, to welcome back Northlane in Tampa Bay after a year and a half away. Supporting them was Texas based Invent Animate, and fellow Aussie bands Thornhill and Windwaker.

Windwaker

Windwaker undoubtedly opened the night with high energy. I mean, with a song called “Dopamine Freestyle ” on the set-list, it isn’t hard to feel the rush of dopamine from them. Their seven song set-list took the crowd through a range from their discography giving a little piece to each fan whether they were old or new. Their energy set off the night, and left the crowd pumped for the following acts.

Thornhill

You wouldn’t know it by the sheer lace button down, wide leg pants, and oxfords, worn by lead Jacob Charlton, but Thornhill knows how to make a crowd move. It was only 5 months ago that Thornhill graced the outdoor stage at The Orpheum, and the crowd greeted them like they never left! They started off with “Views From The Sun”, a hard driving song that truly set the crowd off. Continuing off the high they played favorites such as “Obsession” and “Where We Go When We Die”, sending the crowd to the moon then back to earth to meet the final opener.

Invent Animate

If the crowd wasn’t there for Northlane, they definitely were there for Invent Animate. Fronted by Marcus Vik, this enigma of a band truly shook the venue. Dressed in matching neutrals, whether sheer or crocheted, Invent Animate truly embodies the phrase “never judge a book by its cover”. Still riding high from their latest album Heavener released in 2023, six of eight set-list songs were chosen from that album. The band delivered a high energy performance which had the crowd pulsating, and later even made me shed a tear when they played “Heavener”, the crowd carrying the second chorus with the direction of Vik was truly goose bump inducing. Invent Animate is a must see band and was a highlight of the night!

Northlane

The lights went out and the crowd erupted. “Carbonized” blasted over the speakers, white strobe lights colored the stage as the band dressed in black one by one took the stage. It was the perfect starter song and had the crowd bouncing against the barricade in anticipation. Lead Marcus Bridge broke the mold and came out in a red lace button down, commanding attention as he broke into the vocals of the song. Their seventeen song set-list led the crowd through their discography, from their newest release to their 2011 album Discoveries there was no stone un-turned. You could feel an energy shift and the crowd was in it until the end, the overflow of crowd surfers and multiple pits opening, truly welcomed Northlane back to Tampa with open arms.

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