Dayshift – The Castle Theatre

Stunning vocals, hard hitting baselines, a high crowd energy and an absolutely packed venue all thanks to the Castle Theater are how I would describe the concert that was Wide Orbit, Olivia Wexler, Mulch and Dayshift. Each artist came out showcasing their individual unique talents and it made for a downright incredible and practically unforgettable showing. To begin, the venue was nothing short of packed. Up front by the stage saw countless people dancing and singing along to all four of the bands’ sets, oftentimes jumping up and down, waving their flashlights in the air, moshing, and singing along at the top of their lungs. You could really feel the energy present by the crowd evident by the numerous smiles plastered on the face of the audience. Closer to the back of the venue, the same traits apply. Seemingly everyone in attendance, me included, upheld the vibe of being present in the moment and having a good time – and the energy of the bands playing was reflective of that as well. The first band that performed was Wide Orbit, who showcased their unique indie flair in a way that made the entire crowd sway in appreciation. Fun fact about Wide Orbit was that this was in fact their first time playing live together, yet you would never be able to tell by the fantastic showmanship, enthusiasm, and chemistry they all played with together. They played numerous of their own songs before covering a song from Chucks Papa’s, which made the entire crowd erupt in chants along with the band on stage. Wide Orbit was nothing short of amazing, and did a fantastic job warming the crowd up for the next artist, Olivia Wexler. Olivia Wexler entered the spotlight next after a brief intermission, where she dazzled the crowd by way of her nothing-short-of stunning vocals. Wexler had a voice that had the entire audience in shock as she hit high note after high note, truly leaving me and the rest of the fans in the audience stunned by her sheer talent. I particularly loved her cover of “Time Moves Slow” by BADBADNOTGOOD as she put her own unique artistic flair on the track, allowing the song to take on a whole new meaning. Olivia Wexler really impressed me as well as fellow music intern Skye and she did an amazing job keeping audiences entertained before the next act Mulch.
Mulch rocks. There’s no other way to put it. A 90’s-esque grunge band that played with so much enthusiasm and energy that you could feel it to your core. You can really tell that all three members love what they do. To begin, the drummer played out of his mind during the set specifically, as did the bassist and lead singer. Mulch had the entire crowd, including me jumping relentlessly up and down to their emphatic music, so much so that I was out of breath by the end of it. Upfront, closest to the stage, I counted at least 7 different moshes that broke out, as well as 4 different people crowd surfing throughout the set. I loved the passion they showed for the music that they played and they also had great crowd work and tunes as well. Mulch was a band that I previously was unaware of before this show, but upon seeing them at the Castle Theater last night, I can confidently say that I am now a fan.
And finally, Dayshift played their good vibrations and built masterfully upon the creative flair and intensified energy of the three previous sets. It was particularly fun to see given the great dynamic that all of their members played with together. Funny enough, I first found Dayshift through a random Spotify playlist of shuffled indie music earlier this year, and had no idea that I would one day see them live at the Castle Theater! One thing that I noticed is that their music sounds exactly the same live as it does on streaming services, which is a testament to both their ability to play live and sheer talent overall. They rocked the crowd, with people putting their flashlights in the air and smiling from ear to ear. I loved seeing these four sets come together for an unforgettable experience that was only exemplified by the amazing venue that was The Castle Theater.