“Cheers”ing With Neck Deep

^{Article by Madison Luongo}

The excitement of the crowd can be felt even outside the confines of the iconic Salt Shed music venue. Fans patiently await in front of the stage for their favorite band to take the stage, whether that be Pain of Truth, Origami Angel, Neck Deep, or The Story So Far, who have all joined together to make an iconic tour lineup. 

Pain of Truth were the first to take the Salt Shed stage, delivering a brief set of five songs to get the night started. In contrast to the other three acts on the tour, the Long Island native band leans into a heavy, hardcore punk rock sound that successfully elicited feelings of excitement and energy in the crowd. 

Following Pain of Truth came Origami Angel, a rock band who originated from Washington DC. Origami Angel had a very contrasting sound in comparison to the act before them, with their songs having a far more fun and upbeat energy. While their music can easily be identified as rock with their heavy utilization of drums, electric guitar, and energetic vocals, there is also an underlying sense of softness and comfort in their works that can at times even be read as nostalgia– this feeling is most notable in their most popular song, “The Title Track,” which was the band’s penultimate song of their nine-song setlist. 

Soon, Origami Angel bid farewell to the stage and was replaced with pop-punk band Neck Deep, whose UK origins contrast the pattern of east-coast bands that have been taking the Salt Shed stage. The band kicks off their set with “We Need More Bricks,” a track from their most recently released 2024 album, Neck Deep. Between songs, the group made a great effort to convey how grateful they were to be playing in Chicago on this beautiful September night, quickly delivering a “Cheers” – which lead vocalist Ben Barlow made clear meant “Thank you” in the UK, in contrast to its less-sentimental Chicago meaning – between songs several times. This sense of excitement and gratitude was also noticeable in the band’s performance, with Harlow’s vocals sounding identical to their songs’ studio versions both in sound and passion. Nearing the end of the set the band played “In Bloom,” one of their most popular songs, which could be inferred solely by the crowd’s reaction at the introductory pre-recorded “announcement” at the beginning of the track. Similarly to Origami Angel’s “The Title Track,” “In Bloom” has this way of delivering this sense of comfort and softness despite its rock genre, making it understandable why the song is so important in the hearts of so many Neck Deep fans. The band finished their set with two more songs from their self-titled album, “Dumbstruck Dumbf*ck” and “STFU,” and, after delivering one final “Cheers,” exited the stage, leaving the final band, The Story So Far, to close the night.

Together, these four bands created an incredible music experience that cannot be easily forgotten by fans– no matter which act they came to the show for, it is hard for them to leave without gaining three new favorite bands.