It’s Always a Pink Cloud Summer When Movements is in Town
March 25th, 2025 - St. Louis, MO
There aren’t many bands I would drive the four hours across the state of Missouri for, and Movements is at the top of that list. I heard “Kept” for the first time when I was 19 and I was sold. So when Movements announced this tour to wrap up the era of RUCKUS! I knew I would be in attendance regardless of the drive.
If there’s one thing that this band knows how to do, it’s build a tour lineup, and this was no exception. I was excited to see every band on this bill. I wasn’t super familiar with Downward until this tour got announced but after seeing them live I can say with absolute certainty that they rock. After the show was over I immediately added their new album Downward (2) to my saved albums on Spotify. Sound wise, Downward mixes elements of alternative and post hardcore to create something that has a slightly haunting, even melancholy sound that I particularly appreciate in this type of music in particular. As a group they also sound amazing live, I’m for sure keeping my eyes out for the next time I’ll get to catch them at a show. Highlights of their setlist included “LINE” & “The Waltz, I 100% recommend you check them out and give the new album a listen.
Scowl may not be for everyone but I enjoyed their live performance so much. Their songs take elements of punk and harcore that offer a nice contrast to the other three bands, and a style of music that checks a lot of boxes for me personally. The stage presence of each member is immensely fun to watch and their energy is infectious for sure. A couple of my favorites from their set were “Opening Night”, “Special”, and “Retail Hell.” During their set they touched on their new album, Are We All Angels, that comes out April 4th, 2025 featuring singles like “B.A.B.E.” & “Not Hell, Not Heaven.”
I’ve listened to Citizen almost as long as I’ve been a Movements fan, but until this show I’ve never managed to see them live. They were such a good fit for the direct support for this tour, I, (along with the whole crowd), enjoyed every second of their set. The moment the chorus for “I Want To Kill You” kicked in everyone on the floor of The Pageant was off their feet. They’re a band that was worth the wait to see, they sound amazing live,and are genuinely fun to watch on stage. If you looked at me at any point during my time in the photo pit I was vibing just as much as the people in the crowd.
I had Youth on CD in my car when I was in high school, so finally getting to hear “Speaking With A Ghost” & “The Night I Drove Alone” live was as close to a spiritual experience as I think I’ve had in my 28 years of life.
Movements is one of my favorite bands, probably ever. They’ve only gotten better the further into their career they climb and their live performances are a testament to that. Every member looks and sounds so confident the entire time they’re on stage and it’s truly just a pleasure to watch. Their set design was minimal but the light show was what made their whole set so fun to watch and so beautiful in photographs.
To say I was nervous the whole night waiting to photograph one of my favorite bands was an understatement, but the moment “Afraid To Die” started all of that faded away into the sheer joy of the moment.
The last time I got to see Movements was in 2021 at Sad Summer Fest, and finally seeing them headline a show made me so happy. Even though I did cry for most of the show, (Tightrope into Full Circle into Colorblind will do that to you), it healed my heart.
They played a good chunk of RUCKUS! which was personally really great since that was my album of the year in 2023, and one of my favorite songs off of Feel Something, “Deep Red”, along with the usual fan favorites like “Daylily” & “Kept”.
It was someone in the crowd's birthday and Patrick asked them what song they really wanted to hear, and after a couple of deep cuts that the guys on stage fully admitted they didn’t remember how to play, we got to hear Fever Dream, as a treat. Before the final two songs of the night Patrick told us that after they wrap up this tour they were going to start writing a new album, which got the insane audience reaction you would expect, because if the two one off singles they’ve released in the last year are indicative of the type of music a new Movements album would have, fans of the band will be in for a treat. Seeing the constant progression of sound from Outgrown Things all the way to RUCKUS! Has me particularly excited for what Movements does next, and I’ll be right there in the audience when they start touring again.
