Raleigh was a date we had circled on our tour map months ago as being one of the most looked-forward to dates on the tour. So despite how tired we all were as a result of night driving from Johnson City, everybody was pumped as hell for the gig at the Axe Manor. We spent the morning getting the transmission lines on our Expedition replaced, so for about five hours we slept and mooched off Starbucks' free wifi and air conditioning. After a restless wait we hopped on over to the show promoter Laura’s house to hang out for a while then eventually head over to the show spot.
Inside the laundry room at Axe Manor
Awesome signage
The Axe Manor was a sick punk house, and you could tell a lot of shows had gone down there. Unfortunately, this day looks like it was the Axe Manor's last day. At 8:15pm, just ten minutes into the opening band's set, show organizer and tenant Dustin (of the band Atrophix) was served an eviction notice. The show grinded to a halt at this point, as the loud music obviously had to cease. The time after the eviction notice was ripe with disappointment, as this would have been the second cancelled show within the first week of tour. Even more importantly, though, we all felt like shit for Dustin, who now had to find a new place to stay.
However, what started out as a major bummer turned into something that was nothing short of a miracle. Nate, guitarist of the band Noctomb (who was on the bill as well) offered to host the rest of the gig at his house, just down the street. Within minutes, a caravan of Raleigh's finest metal folk were headed down Hillsborough Ave toward the new location! Nate's house is where Noctomb practices, and the space was perfect - just enough room for everybody in attendance and the bands!
I apologize for the lack of photos illustrating these events, but after the Axe Manor got shut down, things just started happening really quickly. Anyway, Autolatry set up to play first and were greeted with rabid reception! The room was one of the hottest places we had ever been, and immediately after starting to play we were all drenched in sweat. Despite all the strife of the past couple hours, the show went better anyone could have imagined. People were having a great time, rocking out, getting rowdy, and we were having the fucking time of our lives! For some reason, playing a packed house show with no stage and only one mic is a really special occasion for me. During the 28 minutes of our set, I can't remember a time when I felt more whole playing music in front of a crowd.
I'm writing this from the venue in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and I PROMISE that the live footage of last night's gig will be uploaded as soon as the wifi allows. I will update this post with the videos soon!
Unfortunately, one band from last night was unable to play, and another band's set got cut short. Hansgraf (http://www.facebook.com/Hansgrafmelodeath) was the opening band of the night, and although they only squeezed two and a half songs in, made a very good impression. They are a new band, so go check them out and support! Atrophix (http://www.facebook.com/Atrophix) - which is Dustin's band - were supposed to play as well, but did not as a result of the eviction fiasco. They play some awesome as hell ripper crust, and we dig the shit out of them. Noctomb (http://www.facebook.com/EnterNoctomb?ref=ts) was obviously the band who hosted the second half of the show, and they totally slay! They play a really interesting blend of styles, including some doom, black metal, and groove elements.
Here's a video of the first two songs from our awesome set, Mountain and Oak. It was so satisfying to see you guys going crazy for us! Another video of our set closer will be going up soon!
This is Snow, our set closer. Thanks so much to you guys for being awesome.
I will update this post with video footage from Autolatry's set, but let me quickly give thanks to the people who made this all possible yesterday! Huge thanks to Laura, the show's promoter and who put us up at her house - you rock! More huge thanks to Dustin who sacrificed his house for this show. To Nate, from Noctomb, this our Raleigh experience would have been significantly less badass if it weren't for your generosity - thank you so much for providing your house as the new venue last night! There are so many more people to thank for the events that unfolded yesterday, just remember that we haven't forgotten about any of you! We're about to load in at Rock Hill, so as I said, I will update this post ASAP with some awesome live footage!
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