The Armed: Bringing a Different Kind of Cheer During Christmastime
A cheer of Screams, Smashed guitars, and Surfing the Crowd.
Article by Molly Maloney
It was a cold, rainy evening in Wrigleyville as the neighborhood was bustling full of people with Christmas cheer. Down the block from the stadium at Metro, however, the cheer was a bit different. The “cheer” entailed screaming, singing, crowd surfing, mosh pits, and guitars getting smashed into pieces.
The energy of the crowd in the packed venue never died down thanks to the performance of Kipp Stone, Model/Actriz, and The Armed.
Kipp Stone, a rising artist from East Cleveland, Ohio, opened up the show with powerful rap-style narratives. Stone set the tone well for upcoming performances by engaging the audience in a way that was meaningful and honest. His lyricism painted vibrant stories. The bass vibrated the floor and his voice was crisp and booming through his time on stage, especially during his latest single he released called “Petrichor.”
The lights then dimmed and the stage illuminated bright red as Model/Actriz took the stage. The woman behind me asked if I had seen their previous show in Chicago at the Hideout. When I said no, she responded “Oh my gosh, you better buckle in.” Cole Haden, the lead singer of the band, walked out with a confidence and a demeanor that you could not look away from. The crowd was locked in from the beginning, as Haden made eye contact with audience members, pointing and posing to the music with purpose. The energy only picked up from there with their post-punk and noise-rock style.
I was especially excited to see the performance of Model/Actriz as their music videos for songs like "Crossing Guard" and "Matador" have intense artistic value through storytelling, metaphors, color schemes, symbolism, etc. Would the performance of Crossing Guard match the energy of their music video to the song with Haden as a beekeeper holding a seeth? The answer is yes, above and beyond.
Throughout their set, the lead singer held absolutely nothing back in terms of crowd engagement. Haden strutted through the crowd with piercing eyes and a flamboyant demeanor, and would kneel down to individuals in the audience bringing an intimate and theatrical experience. His voice went from breathy and almost flirtatious to extremely loud and commanding as their songs changed pace. On stage consistently were Ruebn Radlauer (drummer), Aaron Sharpiro (bassist), and Jack Wetmore (guitarist), all staying focused on the pace of the music and the energy of the environment. For the most part, the audience was absorbed by the charisma and character of Haden, even lowering all the way to the floor and rising up on his command. There were also parts where the crowd moshed with intense fever and parts where Haden crowd surfed with grace. The man standing next to me said, “He’s the next Freddy Mercury.” By the leadership of Cole Haden, the audience was consistently in sync with body and mind with the music of the band.
Model/Actriz without a doubt left the audience wanting more, and The Armed came prepared. With The Armed’s entrance, the intimacy faded a bit while the intensity and energy grew with their hardcord punk and metal music.
The diversity of the band's outfits and looks makes them appealing from the get-go. Urian Hackney (drummer) wore a Chicago Bulls jersey, Tony Wolski (singer) wore a white tank top with a neon orange baseball cap, Cara Drolshagen (singer) wore a white two piece, and Randal Lee (guitarist and singer) wore all black. Immediately with the opening songs, most of the members were much more involved with adding to the intensity and chaos of the performance. The band was running, kicking, jumping, screaming, and the crowd matched the energy ferociously with head bobbing and moshing. The lights initially were the same illuminating red as Model/Actriz, but quickly began changing different neon colors to the tempo of the songs.
Their performance of the song "Sport of Form" was one of my favorites, as singer Tony Wolski created soft, affectionate moments with the audience. The song showed the most stark contrast and quick changes in the music from emotional and deep to evoking power and a rage-type feeling. Wolski was intentional with the way he moved his body and facial expressions to invoke certain feelings with the crowd. Drolshagen’s voice is able to add a high pitched voice that still manages to capture the same amount of rage as other male singers’ deeper voices. She also had no fear jumping into the crowd and doing somersaults and spins as the audience held her up.
I’ve never been to a show this loud and full of rage. By the end, three members were crowd surfing at the same, while still singing and playing their instruments.By the end of the show, a keyboard was thrown on the ground and a guitar was smashed to pieces. A big shout out goes out to security for maintaining the band’s safety while allowing the intensity of the show to continue.
You can check out Kipp Stone on Instagram here!
You can check out Model/Actriz on Instagram here!
You can check out The Armed on Instagram here and on Spotify below!