There’s something wild and sacred about playing a hometown show. It’s not just the stage—it’s the ghosts in the floorboards, the dirt on your boots, and the faces in the crowd that helped shape who you are. On June 21st, 2025, in a sleepy rural town that barely sees rock music—let alone a full-throttle metalcore invasion—we turned a local hall into a thunderous chapel of chaos.
The venue itself was unassuming from the outside. Standard country-town architecture. But inside? A battlefield. The promoter pulled off the impossible—pro-level lighting rig, massive sound system, and a stage wide enough to run across screaming. It didn’t feel like a sleepy town hall—it felt like an underground festival.
We rolled in early. The band unpacked, gear rattling, coffee in hand, laughter already spilling from the sides. Soundcheck was clean—surprisingly so. I documented everything, camera rolling from the moment I stepped out of the car. There’s something sacred in the build-up: the nerves, the tension, the calm before the breakdown. Then came the ritual—the makeup. My warpaint. A habit, a transformation. Once it’s on, I’m not Chris anymore. I’m Killer.
The night opened with Steal Capz, a sonic sledgehammer of punk grit and pub-rock swagger. They tore into their set like a pissed-off AC/DC after shotgunning a dozen longnecks. You could smell the beer-sweat and hear the influence of Bad Brains in every furious strum. Their presence screamed local heroes—dirty, loud, and proud. Think Bad Brains meets Airbourne in a fistfight.
Then, the Shadow Monarchy arrived—and the temperature spiked. These guys are family. We’ve shared stages and nights and heartaches. Seeing them hit that stage again after so long was electric. Their guitarist Jamie—that bastard—shredded solos like his fingers were possessed. Every note was like a blade. Their whole set dripped with energy and purpose. They don’t just play—they own the stage. The room shifted. People took notice. Something was happening.
Then it was our turn.
We walked out as Storm The Crown, but we left that stage as something more. From the first riff of Run to the final cries of Bones in our encore, we poured ourselves into that room.
Setlist:
Run, Riot, Freedom, Purest, Maxpower, Ritual, Valleys
Encore: Bones
I could barely see through the lights, but I felt every stomp, every scream, every hand in the air. The kids in the crowd—some seeing heavy music live for the first time—were shouting lyrics, throwing horns, living it. When the set ended, I stepped off stage to a line of high fives, photos, stories. They thanked me—but really, I was thanking them.
We sold out of all our merch that night. But the real currency was connection.
And then—the pirates landed.
Captain Hellfire and the Wretched Brethren. FUCK. If Mad Max, Monty Python, and Alestorm had a lovechild, it would be this crew of costumed rum-guzzling maniacs. Their songs about drinking, sea monsters, and getting violently impaled by peg legs turned the venue into a floating ship of fools. They brought props. They brought Krakens. They brought a stage show that blurred the line between rock gig and theater.
And it was perfect.
I watched from the crowd, soaked in sweat, make-up melted, surrounded by friends, fans, and a few new freaks I’m proud to now call comrades. Because that’s what this night was about—connection. Not ego. Not competition. Just passion, sweat, music, and the healing noise we all crave.
We don’t get many nights like this in the country. But when we do—it echoes.
Storm The Crown was forged in places like this. And now we return not just to play—but to reignite something. The bands, the fans, the stage—it all meant something.
Thanks to everyone who showed up. To Steal Caps for keeping it real. To Shadow Monarchy for blowing our minds. And to Captain Hellfire for boarding the ship and setting it ablaze.
And most of all—thanks to my brothers in Storm The Crown. This night wouldn’t have been anything without you.
We’ll be back.
And next time, we bring fire.
Long live the chaos.
This is Gospel.
I bite Crowd Surfers.
killer.
Big love and thanks to Hannah and Tara for the Photos
