Jumping right off of '(2our) Dust' with Fall Out Boy and Jimmy Eat World, Hot Mulligan embarked on their own headlining spring tour with Free Throw, Just Friends, and Charmer. Their Anaheim show was one for my personal record books, particularly for the amount of crowd surfers I was dodging in between my shots of the bands. Don't get me wrong, while ignoring my camera’s safety, I loved the energy brought by the bands and crowd.

Charmer started off the night with their specific blend of 90’s twinkling midwest emo. The Michigan based band fits into the genre like a glove, with guttural vocals cutting through the moody layers of instrumentals behind it. They were a great start for the night, ramping up the energy for the other bands. Next up was Just Friends from Dublin, California. They commanded the stage well with both vocalists and a remarkable array of influences in their sound. A little bit of ska-punk, a little bit of hip hop, a little bit of pop-punk, and a ton of charisma. They were the biggest reason that the crowd surfers were a’comin, as they claimed they wouldn’t get paid if they had less than 10 – the audience made sure they surpassed that quota promptly. Just Friends is remarkable live, I heavily recommend  everyone see them.

Nashville natives Free Throw swooped in after with their emotionally wrought anthems. The crowd continued their energy – and crowd surfing – throughout Free Throw’s set as they did with Just Friends. Much of their music covers heavier topics with an energetic sheen, stoking more crowd surfers and pits to form during their set. The lineup for this tour is perfectly cohesive, with shared fanbases, musical styles and even band members. Truly, hats off to Free Throw’s drummer Zach, who was on double time, playing for Charmer as well as his own band.

Hot Mulligan was set up well for their arrival to the stage, and they might as well have hit a home run, because they are spectacular to watch. The band is incredibly dynamic, they had wonderful artistic lighting to their setup that pulsed and swelled behind them. Their sound, much like the rest of the lineup, is riddled with angsty lyrics above bombastic sonic elements the kept the crowd energized throughout their set. They are a wonderful act to watch, and I suggest everyone clamor to see them next time they tour.

Keep up with Hot Mulligan here, Free Throw here, Just Friends here, and Charmer here.

PHOTOS BY ANASTASIA WHITE