Butcher Babies and Nonpoint in Portland, OR

What does one do when they are on vacation? Well, they see what rock and metal shows are in town while you are there. And boy did I strike it rich. On Sunday, June 10th, 2018 the self-proclaimed Kings and Queens of metal set their sites on the Hawthorne Theater in Portland, OR. That’s right boys and girls, children of all ages. Nonpoint and the Butcher Babies brought their Kings and Queens tour to the Rose City. Leading off the night were Newport, OR’s own Against The Rising Tide. Out next were punk/metal band Sumo Cyco hailing from our friends from the north in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Sumo Cyco are described as punk/metal but I would have to call them more of a pop metal band. Don’t get me wrong, these guys wailed. Skye Sweetnam’s voice of an angel had the ability to have that growl of the devil whenever the time called for it. The small stage of the Hawthorne Theater could not contain Sumo Cyco, which was evident when Skye took to the crowd to sing along with the fans. She even took the center of the room and demanded everyone crouch down with her and then erupt with her on her command putting her in the center of the pit. Killer band, really enjoyed their set.

Islander took to the stage next, and I think they were just as thankful as we were that they were there. I believe it was just 14 miles from the venue that the transmission went out in their van putting a damper on their day. And yes, most of these bands have to drive themselves around in shitty vans because you bastards would rather pirate music. No but really, buy the music, pick up some merch, all these bands give it their all for you every night. You would have never known that Islander showed up to the venue without their conveyance. Like the pros they are they rocked that stage taking their anger and aggression out on the stage, giving their all to the Portland crowd.

It was time for royalty to hit the stage, as the Butcher Babies came to do what they do best and that was to FUCK SHIT UP. You know how they do, high octane from the first note to the last. Henry Fury came to the stage proudly wearing his Oregon Ducks jersey that would later be adorned on stage by Heidi. The Butcher Babies delivered a wide range of their catalog, while giving the fans a heavy dose of their latest offering “Lilith.” If you have seen their show you know Heidi is not scared of heights, that girl can jump out of a venue like no other, and this night was no different. The back and forth vocals between Carla and Heidi have created a trademark sound that has won over fans worldwide. I have to say I was sad I didn’t get to hear “Take it Like a Man” but that’s what happens when you build a catalog of brutally awesome songs.

If you follow me on Facebook, and I know you fuckers don’t, you would know what I thought of Nonpoint’s set, and I quote myself “Nonpoint came out strong as fuck in Portland.” I had seen Nonpoint about a year ago in Dallas and they were awesome, but holy shit, this night in Portland, FUCKING EPIC . Nonpoint came out and shoved “Bullet With a Name” right in our face. They came out fierce, strong and just plain aggressive and just kept it going with “Breaking Skin” with just their third song into the set. Usually when a tour is winding down and you’re toward the end the energy start to wean, but hell no not with Nonpoint. And hell, all of the bands came at it hard core in Portland. All night Nonpoint delivered with “What A Day”, “My last Dying Breath” and of course their cover of “In the Air Tonight.” It was an amazing night and one hell of a tour package. Pure raw aggression from start to finish. And on a personal note I finally got to meet up with my man and photographer extraordinaire Mr. Terry White.