Holding Absence & Arm’s Length Give a Break from Modern Life Loneliness at a Sold-Out LA Show
The co-headlining tour of Holding Absence and Arm’s Length reached peak emo angst and post-hardcore energy as it took over The Regent Theater in the heart of Los Angeles. After a week-long heat wave left locals feeling like dry sponges, the crowd rallied inside the 1,100-capacity venue for an intimate night with all four bands. In the best way possible, every act on the lineup deserves a much larger venue. The post-show chatter made that clear, with fans demanding bigger stages for their favorite artists. For longtime Holding Absence fans, the sold-out LA show marked another milestone, tracing the band’s growth from their humble North American debut at the now-closed Chain Reaction to a new chapter with Sumerian Records.
Virginia post-hardcore band House & Home set the lyrical and sonic tone for the night. The band wasted no time drawing the crowd into melodic emo angst, blending underground 2000s grunge and pop-punk instrumentals. Vocalist Pat Williams commanded the stage, but the band’s chemistry was equally compelling. When guitarist Joey Grammer spun in place, bassist Collin Lassiter matched his energy on the opposite end. The stage was their playground, and they made sure the audience knew it. Opening with ‘Swarm’, the band got heads nodding and bodies bouncing, with ‘Bitter’ and ‘A Familiar Direction’ standing out.
BLOOM cranked up the intensity with breakdown-heavy metalcore and emo-hardcore aggression. A neon-lit backdrop established the band’s aesthetic before the first scream, and vocalist Jono Hawkey wasted no time demanding movement. The pit answered with circle pits and moshers surging forward on the venue’s inclined floor. Opening with ‘Forget Me Not’, the band sustained the chaos throughout the set, with ‘Bound to Your Whisper’ and ‘Belrose’ delivering some of the night’s biggest moments. The standout surprise came during ‘Keep You’, when Patrick Miranda of Movements joined the band as the crowd erupted.
Bringing the Midwest emo vibes and lyrical angst, Arm’s Length proved just how much their following has grown. Fans spilled across the venue, making it clear that while The Regent offered an intimate setting, it was struggling to contain the Canadian band’s audience. Crowdsurfers dove into the masses as ‘You Ominously End’ kicked off the mayhem. Allen Steinberg’s vocals soared throughout the energetic set, punctuated by frequent guitar changes as the band shifted between melodic passages and upbeat tracks. Highlights included ‘Up in Smoke’, ‘Object Permanence’ and the seven-minute crowd two-stepper ‘Morning Person’.
Finally, reaching this show’s rotating headliner Holding Absence opened the flood gates by kicking off with some of their new album material. ‘Whisper of a Dream’ was not only a display of Lucas Woodland’s vocal prowess but also the kinetic energy they bring on every performance. With the crowd masses pushing closer to the barricade and once again overspilling to the sides, the band proves again that the small to medium venues won't be enough to suffice for the older and younger fans. ‘Reflection’ had crowd surfers diving over the barricade while ‘Like a Shadow’ had older fans screaming from on top of their lungs. The set was a 50/50 of old material and their new album, with ‘Heaven’ being a fan-favorite moment of vocal display and, honestly, a much better rendition live. Ending with a wall of death during ‘Afterlife’, the crowd plunged into each other before finishing with an encore of ‘Kyoto Snow’, as Lucas’s vocal shout and soaring finale concluded the sold-out show.
Holding Absence’s Modern Life Is Lonely is out now through Sumerian Records. Listen on your favorite platform, and catch the band as their final North American tour dates wrap up soon. Their German and UK tour begins 3 November.
