Steaming toward the weekend, skate punk band CKY and post-hardcore band Slaves came into Portland and they brought friends. Royal Thunder and Awaken I Am came along and put on an incredible show before the show. Portland’s historic nightclub, Dante’s, played host and despite the sweltering temperatures inside the venue, the CKY Alliance was in full effect.
Australian natives Awaken I Am took the Dante’s stage first, playing a short but enthusiastic set. Singer Jimmy Alexander repeated the mantra “let’s have some fun tonight” throughout the set and I think everyone in the venue was feelin’ it. Heads were bobbing and the crowd was packing in to get a listen. Awaken I Am dedicated “Dissolution” to their fallen friend Conner Verner-Oakley who passed away in a tragic accident only a few short months ago.
Royal Thunder took the stage second and really blew me away. Frontwoman Mlny Parsons has an incredible stage presence. Her voice is powerful and unrestrained; almost a cross between Janis Joplin and Courtney Love perhaps. Their song “April Showers” was intense, making the already packed venue feel even smaller as people kept squeezing in.
Sacramento natives and co-headliners, Slaves, had the already enthusiastic crowd dialed-in. Frontman Jonny Craig made several comments about the heat in the venue, but repeatedly expressed his gratitude for being able to be here playing. The set list included several tracks from their 2018 release, Beautiful Death including “Patience Is The Virtue” and “I Know A Lot Of Artists.”
When CKY took the stage, the venue went crazy. Two songs into the set, the crowd became a swirl of energy as the fans moshed to, ironically, “Sporadic Movement”. As the band settled into their set, the crowd continued their “dancing” with security carefully monitoring and keeping things from becoming a show ending trauma scene. I had safely found solace on one of the venue’s unique catwalks above the chaos. Vocalist Chad I Ginsburg “CIG” smiled throughout the set, frequently remarking about how much he loves to play Portland. And it was clear that Portland loves to hear CKY play too. My favorite song of the set would most likely be “Replaceable” from their most recent release. The mix was on-point and it sounded better than the recording.
CKY with Slaves was a great union of two very talented bands and Royal Thunder and Awaken I Am were a perfect appetizer.
