E-Werk, Cologne, Germany 15th September 2024
The Plot In You - “UK/EU Tour” - Special guests: Acres, Invent.Animate
Besides heaviest rainfalls and dropping temperatures, September 2024 has packed another punch: The American Metalcore band THE PLOT IN YOU is coming to town, which all but guarantees a good and sweaty time for all music enthusiasts. And they heeded the call in droves, as the event has been sold-out in no time, so it had to be upgraded from Die Kantine to the larger E-Werk, which is understandable as the band played Germany live back in 2019. THE PLOT IN YOU have been formed 2010, and they are on their fifth album ‘Swan Song’, which they will present live together with a carefully curated list of other songs with their unrelenting energy.
Acres
The task of opening up the evening went to the UK post-hardcore band ACRES, a five piece from the South Coast of England. The band was founded in 2011, and so far they have released two albums, with the latest from 2023 being called ‘Burning Throne’. https://acresofficial.co.uk
Music & Performance
Arriving early paid off that night, as ACRES opened the evening already shortly before 8 pm. The band went off to a good start. However, in the middle of the first song, the PA signal dropped, and it took the band a while to witness the fact that the audience did no longer hear them in the level it was supposed to be. They then briefly left the stage to let the sound engineers fix the problem - which they fortunately did, so after a few minutes the band returned and performed the rest of their set without problems. Kudos to the band for dealing with this unwanted interruption in a calm and professional way. Also music wise ACRES hit the nail on the head with their melodic metalcore. They definitely fired up the pit, and a few crowd surfers paved the way for things to come later that evening.
Rating
Music: 7
Performance: 8
Sound: 5
Light: 7
Total: 6.5 / 10
Invent.Animate
Next up on the rooster were American Metalcore band INVENT.ANIMATE. The quartet from Port Neeches, Texas formed in 2011, and they have release four studio albums so far. The last one was releases in 2023 and is called ‘Heavener’. https//www.inventanimate.com/
Music & Performance
With the name invoking a dark Death Metal band, the first impression was completely opposite. The musicians were all clad in white, with the singer wearing 70ies inspired trousers and a crop top with long bat sleeves with glitter applications, truly a sight to behold. When they started their set, it became clear that this would not be an ABBA tribute band, but the skilfully crafted mélange of uncompromisingly harsh riffs with delightful melodies positions INVENT.ANIMATE right next to DREAM THEATER in the progressive corner of Metal music. The vocal range of charismatic front singer Marcus Vik was stunning to witness, and their 45 minutes of playtime flew by very quickly.
Rating
Music: 8
Performance: 8
Sound: 8
Light: 8
Total: 8 / 10
The Plot In You
So one of the most underrated Post Hardcore bands is starting to lose their “hidden champion” status, as scores of Generation Z members were queuing to see THE PLOT IN YOU in their sold-out show at the E-Werk https://theplotinyou.com
Music & Performance
The change-over this time was surprisingly quick, as only 30 minutes after INVENT.ANIMATE left the stage, the lights went low again, and the anticipation levels in the crowd reached sky-high levels. The crowd erupted into frenzy, as the band around singer Landon Tewers kicked off the set with their recent single ‘Don’t look away’. It was one of those moments, where the band and the audience just “clicked”. Landon - although admittedly tired from playing 100+ shows this year - seemed to be in awe, how loud the audience responded during singalong parts of THE PLOT IN YOU’s songs, which was giving me goosebumps to witness. The band reflected the energy, and interacted positively with the audience, encouraging incoming crowd surfers. All in all, the playtime went by far too quickly, and after 70 minutes, THE PLOT IN YOU left the stage, only to be brought back by frantic screaming and clapping from the audience. The reward was a two-song encore, during which the Cologne crowd mobilized all available energy reserves, making this truly a night to remember.
Setlist
01. Don’t Look Away
02. Divide
03. All That I Can Give
04. Face Me
05. The One You Loved
06. Crows
07. Paradigm
08. Been Here Before
09. Forgotten
10. Enemy
11. Closure
12. Time Changes Everything
13. Left Behind
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14. Disposable Fix
15. Feel Nothing
Rating
Music: 9
Performance: 9
Sound: 8
Light: 8
Total: 8.5 / 10
All Pictures by Christian Beyermann
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