12/09/2019
Like A Storm @ The Annex
Madison, WI

Like A Storm came to Madison right in the middle of their “Freek Show US Tour”. That isn’t misspelled either. The unique part about the entire tour was the fact it was completely free. Yes, F-R-E-E, free. If you signed up on their website you were guaranteed entry if the venue reached over 250 people. I did just that. I missed their last performance in Janesville, WI, so this time I was making sure there was no chance of me missing it. This band hails from New Zealand, so when they are out on tour you have to hit them up when you have the chance to.

They are a straight forward rock band built by three brothers. Chris Brooks on lead vocals and backing guitar, Kent Brooks on bass and backing vocals, Matt Brooks on lead guitar and backing vocals and the only non blood relative back on the drum kit was Zach Wood. There is nothing flashy about them. There are no gimmicks although at times they use an instrument native to their homeland, the didgeridoo. It is used in their set for a few songs, but Chris towards the end of the show performed a few minute solo. I am a fan of how active they are on stage though, between the head banging and random stage jumps they engage with every single person in the crowd. Giving out high fives, cracking jokes and even signing a few autographs at a few points during the evening. 

A very neat moment occurred in the middle of the set. Matt Brooks moved to center stage. He then began to explain how they’ve toured with Linkin Park and were in shock about Chester Bennington’s suicide. This led into a very slow and somber version of “Crawling” that had quite the sing-a-long from the crowd. Dead center, Matt, performed solo while the others prepared for the rest of the show. It was the highlight of the entire show.

All in all, the night was fantastic. The audience members were fun. The band themselves were extremely tight and primed. It is small shows like these that leave impacts on people. I look forward to the next time they come through.

Set List:
Intro
Complicated
The Bitterness
Gangsters Paradise (Coolio cover)
Become The Enemy
Solitary
Crawling(Linkin Park cover)
Wish You Hell
Chemical Infatuation
TNT
The Devil Inside
Pure Evil
(Didgeridoo Solo)
Love The Way You Hate Me