Sunday, April 16 at The Ha- I mean The Conduit found itself with a large line of people at 5 pm (the doors were changed to open at 7 pm) dealing with the Florida humidity to see Decatur, Illinois band; Icon For Hire, along with Cleveland husband & wife duo Hooked Like Helen.
Dancing With Ghost from Jacksonville Florida opened the show around 8 pm. I wasn’t familiar with their music at all but found myself following them on all social media available, a mix of electronic and alternative rock amping up the energy at The Conduit with songs such as “Audacity”. Hopefully, I will be able to see more of them soon in the near future.
With a couple of mishaps; Hooked Like Helen took the stage, apologized for their technical difficulties, and also explained that this was their first time doing a national tour. Thanking Icon for Hire for giving them the chance to spread their music to other states. I was 100% sold on them, they played mostly unreleased songs such as “Dopamine” which I can’t wait for them to release! “Liar” was featured on Netflix; “Jane Seymor” was released on May 31, 2020.
By 9 pm the stage lights had gone out for Icon For Hire, as a long-time fan of the band I couldn’t help but join in on the screaming. Seeing Guitar player Shawn Jump and Ariel Bloomer take the stage brought out my inner teenager. Starting their set with “Ready for Combat” from their self-released 2022 album The Reckoning, they followed with “Cynics & Critics”. I was surprised to hear an ‘oldie’; “IODINE” from their 2011 debut album Scripted, back when the band was part of the Tooth & Nail record label.
It’s not easy being an independent band, as Ariel said a couple of times during their show; If it wasn’t for the insane support from fans they wouldn’t have been able to write more music or tour. Apologizing for missing Florida for five years, Ariel assures the crowd that it’s never going to happen again. Taking a quick break from all the jumping they both sat down for two acoustic songs, one of them which was picked by the crowd. Another oldie from Scripted “THE GRAY”; not gonna lie… I cried. Being overcome by emotions during that song was something I didn’t expect, every single person in the venue was singing along with Ariel and Shawn.
Icon For Hire has always been known for its music being inspired heavily on mental health issues. As a person who has struggled with mental health; being surrounded by many individuals with different experiences from their illnesses, coming together to listen to a band that’s basically funded by the fans (and means so much to them and us), it felt incredibly therapeutic.
SETLIST
- Ready for Combat
- Cynics & Critics
- Iodine
- Get Well
- Dismantled
- Venom
- Brittle
- Emo Dreams
- The Gray
(Acoustic) - Demons
(Acoustic) - Hollow
- Pulse
- Gatekeepers
- Last One Standing
- Pieces
- Make a Move
You can find the rest of their tour here: Icon for Hire | Official Website
Be the first to comment