In July 2024, Los Angeles’ post-hardcore veterans Touché Amoré announced their excellent new album, Spiral in a Straight Line. Coinciding with that news was a 21-date tour with Soul Glo, Portrayal of Guilt, and Soft Blue Shimmer, including a stop in Durham, NC.
If that wasn’t enough, they were booked for The Fruit, which I initially took as a curious choice. For non-locals, it’s an industrial warehouse space typically home to craft fairs, art installations, and dance parties. More than anything, I was curious to see just how the space would accommodate a gauntlet of punk, black metal, and shoegaze on a Tuesday night in late October.
What I got was a well-thought-out concert-going experience. The Fruit’s open floor plan left ample space for the near-capacity crowd to form an intense mosh pit — which grew with each act — while accommodating those who wanted to enjoy the performance without an elbow to the face. The bar and merch area were similarly spacious (and well-lit) near the entrance, allowing easy access throughout the night.
I posted up to capture some photos throughout the night (seen below) and was genuinely impressed by how the local scene showed up for this tour. With that said, let’s dig into the bands themselves.
Soft Blue Shimmer
I was unfamiliar with Soft Blue Shimmer before seeing them live, so at first listen, I was worried the crowd might not have engaged as much with their sound. Instead of serving as a stark contrast to the night’s heavier acts, the band set a perfect foundation. Their alt-rock and dreamy shoegaze blend found unexpected power in the old warehouse acoustics.
Opening with “Emerald Bells”, the band established a pattern of building layers of ethereal guitars and vocals from Meredith Ramond (vocals, bass) and Charlie Crowley (guitar, vocals) with Kenzo Cardenas’ (drums) driving rhythms. I found myself entranced by Crowley’s guitar work on songs like “Shinji” and “Memory/Fantasy” — perfectly balanced with Ramond’s delicate vocal melodies and bass grooves.
Their setlist standout “Canti” demonstrated why they were chosen for this otherwise heavy lineup. By then, the crowd had filled the space beyond half-capacity and was eager to bounce around. Soft Blue Shimmer fed on that energy and capped off a tremendous opening set.
Be on the lookout for their new record, They Will Leave Us With Nothing, on February 28, 2025.
Portrayal of Guilt
The temperature in The Fruit noticeably rose as Portrayal of Guilt unleashed their sonic assault. As a long-time Run for Cover Records fan, I’ve kept an ear out for the Austin, Texas band’s black metal but rarely connected with it. That didn’t stop me from being blanketed in a wall of sound and loving every second.
Opening with the devastating combination of “Possession” and “Burning Hand”, the band immediately spawned an excited mosh pit. Their intense brand of industrial metal felt particularly massive in the warehouse setting, with “Devil Music” living up to its name through cascading waves of distortion and blast beats. The major highlight for the crowd came during “Fall From Grace”, as Touché Amoré singer Jeremy Bolm jumped on stage to contribute vocals for the song’s crushing second half.
I’ll admit, I couldn’t understand a single thing Matt King (vocals, guitar) was shrieking about throughout their roughly 45-minute set. As impressive as it was to watch him growl and scream while shredding, my focus was on James Beveridge (drums) and Alex Stanfield (bass). Their rhythms were in sync and ferocious, and Beveridge seemed practically on the verge of destroying his kit in front of the crowd. Having him center stage felt like the actual performance, in a sense.
By the time they closed with “The Crucifixion”, the near-capacity crowd had been thoroughly baptized in noise and sweat — and there were still two bands left to play.
Soul Glo
If Portrayal of Guilt turned up the heat, Philadelphia’s Soul Glo lit the stage on fire. Opening with the blistering “If I Speak (Shut the Fuck Up)”, the band immediately showcased their unique fusion of hardcore intensity and southern-tinged riffs. The crowd surged forward and refused to relent, with countless audience members emerging to jump from the short stage into the chaos below.
Soul Glo brought intense energy from start to finish, backed by TJ Stevenson’s (drums) intense, blistering beats. It was impossible not to get swept up in the audience’s response to songs like “Coming Correct Is Cheaper” and “Jump!! (Or Get Jumped!!!)((by the future))”. As the temperatures inside The Fruit rose early on in their set, Stevenson inevitably stripped off his shirt for another five or six songs.
Their triumphant closer “Gold Chain Punk (whogonbeatmyass?)” cemented Soul Glo’s reputation as a must-see live act. It was the type of hardcore performance that could only be contained by the structure of an old warehouse.
Touché Amoré
I can only imagine how daunting it must be to headline a night of such intensity, but Touché Amoré proved more than capable. The band opened with the lead single from their latest record, “Nobody’s”, and the crowd turned raucous.
Jeremy Bolm (vocals) was on point, bouncing between his staple screamo vocals and the melodic singing that’s become more prevalent over their last couple of albums. The decade-plus chemistry between him, Clayton Stevens (guitar, keyboards), Nick Steinhardt (guitar), Elliot Babin (drums), and Tyler Kirby (bass) was on full display. It’s genuinely impressive to see a hardcore-adjacent band evolve into such a well-oiled machine like Touché has.
Ultimately, their 22-song, career-spanning set proved to be a masterclass in contrasts and pacing. The anthemic urgency of “Reminders” seamlessly transitions into the atmospheric build of “And Now It’s Happening in Mine”; the intense “Uppers/Downers” was balanced by the more contemplative “Come Heroine”; the aggressive “Honest Sleep” (made louder with Pierce Jordan on guest vocals) was tempered by the indie rock-esque “Hal Ashby”.
Everyone in the crowd seemed to be waiting for the band’s most potent song duo: “~” and “Pathfinder” from 2011’s Parting the Sea Between Brightness and Me. There wasn’t a person in that room standing still when both songs were played towards the night’s end. The live performance and crowd participation elevated even my least favorite song from Spiral in a Straight Line (“Force of Habit”).
After 17 years, six records, and countless performances, it was a spectacle to see a beloved band still at the top of their game. And there was no better place in Durham for it to happen.
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