Better Lovers

A Taste of Better Lovers at Detroit’s Magic Stick

The overhead lights ceased to shine above the crowd and the smoke that was beginning to blanket the room assimilated with the color of the rest of the venue: as black as the night. The music that flooded the room during intermission turned silent and the crowd’s loud babble dipped into a deafening mute. For a brief moment, the only thing that was certain for the attendees was the presence of nothing. 

 

 

After a few seconds, a mishmash of tracks began to play; several love ballads strung together with the sounds of a person sifting through radio stations. 

 

Dim lights appeared from the rear of the production and backlit the members of Better Lovers; shadows shown only by the luminescence of the growing glow behind them as the jumble of songs would begin to swell in volume until they resolved in a sudden cut to conticent. 

 

And then, it began. 

 

 

 

 

On November 19th, The Magic Stick in Detroit would give home to a line up consisting of Cloakroom, Spy, Full Of Hell, and above all, Hardcore Supergroup Better Lovers. Touring fresh off their new 2024 debut album ‘Highly Irresponsible,’ the band would give the concertgoer a diverse exhibition of heavy sound accompanied by a cacophonous assortment of extravagant visual and auditory assault on the attendees senses. In the following hour, the band would not only cover the entire duration of their new project, but also fill in the latter half of the performance with picks from their previous EPs and singles. 

 

 

From beginning to end, Better Lover’s performance was guided by the energy of lead singer Greg Puciato (formerly of The Dillinger Escape Plan) and by band members Jordan Buckley, Clayton Holyoak, Stephan Micciche, and Will Putney (formerly of Every Time I Die and Fit For An Autopsy, respectively).

 

 

While onstage, the band is a formidable force. Puciato illustrated a very powerful and commanding presence, which seemed to actively counter the chaos of his surroundings. While lights actively strobed towards the audience and his fellow bandmates flailed in unpredictable fashion, Puciato held a unique energy center stage as he would frequently charge towards the crowd and physically beckon them to put their own voices into the microphone as he physically pushed himself into the front row.

 

 

 

Moments of invited aggression were scattered plentifully throughout the show emphasising the burning of the metaphorical wall between the crowd and the band. It becomes obvious very quickly that the fire of Puciato’s previous projects are still very much alive and well inside his art today, with this being emphasized by a dynamism that could only be created by conjoining the band members of energetic bands like ETID and Fit For an Autopsy. 

 

 

One of the most notable portions of the show occurred during the mid-section of Better Lover’s Set. By announcement, the performance of the band’s song “A White Horse Covered In Blood” became dedicated to a specific attendee who was in the crowd: Jeff Tuttle. Tuttle being the backing vocalist and guitarist of one of Puciato’s previous endeavors, The Dillinger Escape Plan.

 

 

Examples of nods like this while still maintaining the presence of a new sound is what makes this group so special. Better Lover’s essence at its foundation is a breath of fresh air on each band member’s previous work. The band’s album “Highly Responsible” can feel at times like an invitation to its metalcore roots while still maintaining a hefty package of the hardcore feel that has become forefront in current heavy music. The performance as a whole is a love letter to the state of metal and punk music in the 2000’s.

 

 

 

The band finished their set just as extravagantly as they started, with their single “30 under 13”, an assertive anthem that sounds like the listener being violently bashed over the head with a copy of whatever metalcore album first comes to mind. As the final moments came to a close in the show, Puciato threw himself into the house only to be greeted with the hands of the first few rows of the crowd valiantly holding him as he pulled himself up to hang from the ceiling of the venue. This moment left the exhibition from the band on a high note, a completed performance that somehow felt left in a permanent state of suspension. It’s a feeling that really could only be finalized by seeing the band on whatever tour they plan in the future. 

 

 

 

Shows like this are what set standards. The brilliant use of strobes and reactive lighting set a tone that isn’t comparable to performances from similar acts. It’s disorienting in a way that comes off as well done and intentionally mesmerizing. Especially impressive with the knowledge that if used incorrectly, those stylistic choices could have been viewed as overly aggressive to the point of annoyance. In every way, Better Lovers hits a sweet spot that is shown best in a live environment. 

 

 

 

Support the band on their newest release available on all streaming services and by visiting their website at betterloversband.com.

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