Brittani Wert
- Apr 6, 2019
- 2 min read

Mosh Pits and Metalcore at Hawthorne

Updated: Aug 22, 2020

Despite it being a Tuesday night, Portland’s Hawthorne Theatre quickly filled with fans, energy, and passion as a night of metalcore began.

UK five-piece SHVPES kicked off the show and had the crowd jumping around by the first song. Despite the frontman Griffin Dickinson’s famous father (a certain singer of Iron Maiden), it’s very clear that the band has paved their own way in the hardcore scene. Air time on Sirius XM’s Octane station and the opening slot on cross-country tours has helped the band grow rapidly.

The second opener, ERRA, blew me away with their obvious passion for the music they create. Their set was upbeat and intense in the best way possible. A huge thank you is also in order for the band for letting the photographers shoot their entire set from the pit. Mutual respect between the fans, content creators, and musicians really does make waves in such a fast-paced scene.

Co-headliner number one, We Came As Romans, brought the house down. The lack of crowd surfers was made up for by the mosh pits that spanned from one side of the room to the other beginning within the first few songs. My middle school emo heart loved the setlist filled with hits old and new, interlaced with humble thank yous from frontman Dave Stephens and heartfelt stories reminiscing on their late band member Kyle Pavone.

Rounding out the evening was Texas metalcore Crown the Empire. Though the crowd was noticeably smaller after WCAR, that didn’t stop the band from embracing the sweaty and energized crowd for one more set of the night.

Check out the full photo gallery below!