BravoArtist and The King of Clubs put on an unbelievable night of rock with Memphis May Fire, Norma Jean, Secrets, and SAUL tearing up the stage!!

WOW!! That’s the only word I can come up with when speaking of the kick ass lineup that I witnessed at The King of Clubs on Wednesday. TKOC partnered with BravoArtist to bring ‘The Remade In Misery Tour (Part II)’ to town. This was a four-band performance that was headlined by Memphis May Fire.

As if that wasn’t good enough, they also added The Almighty ‘Norma Jean’, Secrets and SAUL to the bill. That was a whole lot of loud and energetic rock-n-roll!

SAUL, a four-piece from Iowa, took to the stage first and they did so with authority. I’ve been to plenty of shows at The King of Clubs and they have a masterful sound system. However, I’m not sure that I have ever heard the room reverberate with loudness the way it did while SAUL was performing.

Blake Bedsaul crushed it with his lead vocals while brother, Zach, was outstanding on backup vocals. He is also a tremendous lead guitarist. Myles Clayborne (drums) and William McIlravy (bass) combined forces as a formidable rhythm section. The duo tested the building’s rafters and my eardrums. I normally do not wear my earplugs and I didn’t on this occasion either, however I think I should have. My ears were still ringing on my way home.

SAUL has been in the music business since 2007 and finally knocked one out of the park with the monster hit “Brother” in 2019. The tune rose to #29 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Chart. “Trial by Fire” was the follow-up single from the album ‘Rise as Equals’ with “King of Misery” on its heels. The latter managed to outdo “Brother” by six spots on the charts. This quartet is a must see if you ever see their name on a marquee in your area.

Secrets, hailing from San Diego, California, followed SAUL and they kept the energy going. It was my first time witnessing a performance by the post-hardcore group despite the fact they have been in existence since 2010. Judging by what I saw, it will not be my last.

Richard Rogers was a superb frontman. He was all over the stage and had the audience bouncing and moshing much to his delight. The trio behind him, Connor Branigan (lead guitar), Wade Walters (rhythm guitar), and Connor Allen (drums). Walters handled the unclean vocals as well.

‘Fragile Figures’, a 2013 album from the band held the #13 spot on the Indie charts. Secrets dropped ‘Everything That Got Us Here’ two years later with the compilation rising to number 20 on the same chart. In 2018 they made it three in a row making it into the top 50, with the album finally hitting #44. ‘The Collapse’ is their latest album, dropping last year on Velocity Records.

Norma Jean was the oldest of the four bands, getting started in 1997. None of the five current members were apart of the original lineup, but lead vocalist, Cory Brandan has been aboard since 2004. The eldest member of the group has not slowed over the past 19 years and once again nailed it on this particular evening. He followed suit with Secrets in keeping the mosh pits rolling.

Drummer Matt Marquez is back behind the kit for his second stint, teaming with bassist, Clay Crenshaw as a dominant rhythm corp. The tandem kept the band grooving with a jet-propelled pulsation that was second to none. Michael Palmquist, Grayson Stewart, and Phillip Farris collaborated on the six strings.

Six separate albums from this Douglasville, Georgia (Atlanta suburb) band has reached the top 100 with the highest, ‘Anti Mother’, attaining the 29th position in 2008. Their newest album, ‘Deathrattle Sing For Me’ along with the previous two, ‘Polar Similar’ and ‘All Hail’ were released under the Solid-State umbrella.

Finally, closing the night was Denton, Texas’ Memphis May Fire. The five-piece metalcore band is led by lead vocalist Matty Mullins. Kellen McGregor handles the lead guitar and backup vocals) while touring member, Lucas Chandler takes care of the rhythm guitar role. Cory Elder (bass) and Jake Garland (drums) tie things together.

MMF proved why they were the headliner with an in-your-face set that featured hits from ‘Unconditional’ their number four beast from 2014. They also blasted the audience with their seven-album discography.

Mullins has held his spot in the band since 2008. He has lent his vocal work to several bands for a good reason, he has an amazing voice. He kept the jam-packed room entertained as well as capping the theme of the evening, MOSHING!

McGregor showed why he has been around since the band’s inception. He is as talented as any lead guitarist in the rock scene today. He may not have a name like Zakk Wylde or Steve Vai, but he deserves to own a spot among the best. Chandler held his own, despite being just a touring member.

Whatever SAUL’s Clayborne and McIlravy left in the rafters, Elder and Garland attempted to bring it down altogether. All four rhythm section duos were simply put, outstanding.

It appeared to me that I was not the only one who thought this was an exceptional night of rock. But then again, that has become common place for The King of Clubs. If you were not there, you missed a top-notch evening of entertainment.

Check out the attached photo gallery below. Until next time, this is Big L saying ‘keep those horns up and rock on!! \m/ \m/