These Angels Are Robots: ACNC X LLBE
A Continent Named Coma: Che Cafe x 09/24/2023
Old Gray. Envy. Saetia. Underoath. On the third major stop for A Continent Named Coma and Live Longer Burn Everything’s dual-headlined tour, we talked about these screamo legends (and more), inspiration, and all the old, new, and early 2000s sound that has captivated and motivated these musicians to enter and conquer the booming emo scene.
September has been THE ultimate month if you’re into any sort of post-hardcore+emo noise. San Diego’s local venue The Che Cafe hosted These Angels Are Robots tour on the 24th– with a stacked lineup and our friend in Dead Relatives Magazine vending, we aren’t surprised the night went explosive, and surely sold out! I met the crew of ACNC, and with the bassist, Ryan Peterson, being a member in both bands, I was lucky enough to score some time with LLBE as well.
I originally reached out to ACNC, Arizona’s latest post-hardcore/screamo piece on the rise, to gain some casual insight on what touring has been like and what future plans are on the horizon for listeners to look out for etc.-- I was taken aback by the intentional and insightful answers both LLBE and ACNC provided me with. Of course the conversation had geared away from the lighthearted (yet still essential) pre-planned questions I had, and veered toward an impassioned path; this feature will entail everything in between the mundanity of touring life, to the raw reality of being an emo based musician.
The opening band Polio, and the already packed house, was causing heavy commotion as myself accompanied by both ACNC and LLBE members made our way to the back patio of the cafe. The presence of calamity surged about the outside space as we ventured into our intimidatingly low-key conversation. Introductions are a necessity, so we threw around our names, setting the precedent to delve into the down-low/behind the scenes moments of the tour. Immediately we started talking about music. Their favorite bands, what got them into the genre they represent, recommendations, and their influences. Travis, from LLBE, led with Fear Before, Billy mentioned, “Blood Brothers, a lot of MySpace screamo like Duck Duck Goose, and then a lot of the newer Mathcore kind of stuff like Frail Body, Gillian Carter,” and Ryan being the bridge between both bands said that, “for me personally, I think one of the bands that I draw from most, is Envy [...] A lot of our earlier stuff is really post-rock influenced as well, and you know we were really into death metal when we started the band– Oathbreaker too.” The budding, almost sixth wave revival of the Skramz genre that’s been taking place in SoCal has also inspired both ACNC and LLBE. Shout outs to OneWayMirror, Widowdusk, and Knumears! Paul from Coma mentioned Shin Guard as an inspiration to get more into more Skramz style drum patterns, and Tristan kept it short and sweet with noting that their inspiration is: “From First to Last. Yes!! ‘Dear Diary, My Teen Angst Has A Body Count’ is tattooed on my psyche.” With both bands having EPs out on streaming platforms, it’s very clear the type of melodic and heavy screamo influences that they have rooted in their sounds. They’re all the classics, they made the rulebook on being emo, and they’ve helped pave the way for future legends like ACNC and LLBE.
Our conversation about musical icons quickly transitioned to one about the actual music. The lyrics, the instruments, and the stories behind it all.
Allie (Interviewer): “I really wanted to know, and I think in general the scene wants to know, what drives you all to write these powerful lyrics that speak to that sullen side of us; what motivates you to participate in the creation of violent noise with almost poetry as lyrics– there has to be some stories?”
Travis (LLBE): “It’s freedom [...] Everyone we know is struggling, if you’re not, you’re probably not a real one, and we need to come together and music is the best way to do it. I feel like when I was a kid going to shows, I didn’t know who I was, I was struggling to just be alive, and people would give you a space.”
Allie (Interviewer): “Almost like a safe space, where music can bring us all together and be that connection between our own personal struggles and the struggles of the kid next to us.”
Paul (ACNC): “I feel like if it’s just a single person who comes to the show, or is listening to the song or the lyrics, and connects to it and comes up to you and says, ‘hey what you said here about this, impacted me,’ that could be the only person that’s ever said that to me, and that would be enough of a reason to make music.”
Billy (LLBE): “That’s funny, because for me, I just do it because it’s fun. I just enjoy getting up there and doing it, you know. It’s just so much fun for us to get up there and play our set and we’re like fucking tight all the time– I don’t know it’s just a really fun time.”
Ryan (ACNC/LLBE): “Literally everything they said, plus for me it’s just out of pure necessity. I feel like I have such a strong passion for music; it’s like rooted in my soul to where if I didn’t have it, I wouldn’t exist and I’ve always been attracted in general to more abrasive music– like noise, screamo, hardcore, everything.”
Tristan (ACNC): “All this is such a big catharsis. It is the release of every shitty day, every good day, from when I’m wanting to damn near blow my brains out to when I feel like I’m on top of the fucking world. It’s a necessity for me. I can’t not.”
Paul (ACNC): “I feel like I can speak for all of us when I say that it gives us the purpose that we have.”
These are the stories, this is the truth that an audience wants to hear– your idols, your local scene, musicians in your city, are cultivating a community where freedom is the precedent. Where the room can be noisy and the voices can be loud, but it’s genuine sound and intentional words. Both A Continent Named Coma, and Live Longer Burn Everything, are in this for the reality that they wouldn’t want to belong anywhere else, and it’s a welcoming space for others to experience the same (aside from the few times where they’re in this for the ‘big screamo money’).
Transitioning from the intense thoughts about what drives these musicians to break into the emo scene, we quickly started to bring a more permissive attitude to our talk. With this being the first full-fledged tour for both Arizona bands, I needed some insight on what touring with two proclaimed bands of friends has been like– especially to take a lighthearted look at van life.
Billy led with some positive energy and a look into the previous nights on tour with it being LLBE’s first couple of sold out gigs– with Quiet Fear, and Vs Self, to playing Programme Skate Shop and getting psyched for The Haven in Pomona! Both bands feel more than ready for what's to come for the rest of this stretch. ACNC talked about “making core memory after core memory after core memory,” and relayed that it’s been practically living the dream. To my surprise they said that they were well prepared for this tour, with time, money, and dedication– shoutout to Paul for his tireless effort!!
Emo kids in the SoCal scene, friends from out of state, and far away readers, tune in to ACNC and LLBE on streaming platforms, and get ready for the next wave. The scene is changing and we are ready with open hearts, and open minds! Talking and listening to this dream crossover was a pleasure; we all patiently await what’s next. Stay tuned.
Written By: Allison Grace (@allieepayne)
Published: 10/03/2023