Mallory Run sells out PACA on a Wednesday night

That’s right, you read the headline correctly. The Performance Arts Collective Alliance, or PACA theater teamed up with local booking and talent agency The Andromeda Agency to host bands such as erie acts such as Lyle Sallade and Real Fake Doors, Young Culture from Albany, NY and of course, Edinboro’s own Mallory Run.

As the doors opened at 7:30, tickets went quickly, and by 9pm, the show had already sold out, meeting the 100 ticket goal. Although this doesn’t seem like too big of a deal, the show took place in Erie on a Wednesday night, Sept. 19, and sold out, something that the local music scene in Erie rarely sees.

I’ve heard a lot of hype about the band now since I started school 3 years ago at Edinboro, but never caught one of their shows. I went to this performance on a whim, and asked myself, what is it about this band that generates so much buzz? I was answered loud and clear before the first breakdown ended during “For Now." 

For one, the band keeps up a great energy. Even in the tiny theater, which still had its four pews standing and the majority of the furniture from the ongoing weekend production, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,” a mosh pit broke out during “Simple Times.” The band isn’t glued to one spot nor are they running all around the stage and doing guitar tricks, they stay dedicated to what they’re playing, and truly feel that energy. The crowd was also feeling that energy and the moshpit remained for the rest of the show.

This is definitely represented in the music. As stated before, they don’t bounce off the walls because the technicality of their music simply doesn’t allow for that. Although they fall into the hardcore/pop-punk genre, they try to mix the song structures up and stray away from punchy, repetitive four chord progressions. They experimentation outside the genre, and that shows with the mathrocky solo thrown into one of the songs.

The ends of their songs rarely sound like the beginning, and the band even takes it to blend some songs into each other for a more cohesive experience, such as with the songs “Bloom” and “Marigolds,” both performed one after the other.

Despite a few small hiccups in the guitar solos, I still walked away with a strong impression of the band and am looking forward to catching Mallory Run again. I went through and checked out their bandcamp, but their recorded music pales in comparison to what they sound like live. They played songs from their first self-titled release and their EP Spin.

Even if hardcore/pop punk music isn’t your favorite thing, I’d still recommend going to a show if you don’t have anything going on. If you’re someone who loves music like I do, you’ll still find enjoyment and appreciation for other people who are passionate about music. Support that passion in person, it means the world to up and coming musicians to actually see people connecting with their music.

Livia Homerski can be reached at ae.spectator@gmail.com.

 

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