Rock Night at Tap Yard

Photos and Writing by Olivia Rozinski

If you haven’t planned to visit Tap Yard in Raleigh soon, you’ll want to keep an eye out for their weekly line up and future events. They’re no stranger to heavier music and catering to flying elbows if they just happen to show up. Their first heavier show could not have been better. With four amazing bands on the ticket it absolutely set a high bar for events to follow. With a separate bar in the front, a large game room (perfect for the aforementioned flying elbows), and space outdoors, you can be comfortable enjoying the breeze, the crowd, or the music at the front bar.

Goat Choker, from Raleigh, opened up the night with a wild vibe that fed into the rest of the night. With longer songs, heavy on the rifts and on the bleghs, they were a great band to open up for the rest of the night. While they’re still on the newer side, I’m excited to see what they do in the future.

Escape Velocity, from Wilmington, followed up and continued the amazing atmosphere with their instrumental band. While I’m normally aware of instrumentals lacking a stand out feature, this was pleasantly not the case. They kept their energy high and the crowd engaged through their entire set. If you have the chance to see these three live, I encourage you to rearrange plans because it’s bound to be a great time.

Dark Signs, from Greensboro, were the penultimate band (and also the band I was most excited to see). After hearing such good things about Dark Signs, I was excited to see if they lived up to their reputation- they absolutely did. After being compared to Wage War, I was sceptical, but left beyond happy about seeing and hearing them life. It’s always an absolute joy to hear musicians that sound like their recorded work, if not better. During their set is where the flying elbows really came into play. While there was undoubtedly movement before, the members of Escape Velocity kept their energy up and helped set off the first few flying elbows. It’s hard to imagine seeing Dark Signs without a few elbows in the air after seeing them in this environment. I was thoroughly impressed with this entire band, their performance, and how incredibly nice they were after. Like Grandma always said: It’s the deepest blegh-ers that are the nicest off-stage.

Fractured Frames, from Asheville, closed out the night with a crushing performance. With the crowd perfectly warmed up, the guys of Fractured Frames led them on with brilliant riffs, absolutely killer energy, and the dirtiest bleghs of the night. While I came for Dark Signs, it was a treat to stay through their set and enjoy not only their amazing music, but also the energy of the entire night. Fractured Frames was such an amazing headliner and knew how to work with the crowd, the energy, and get both amped up even more. They’re known for being a high in demand live band and I absolutely see why after their performance. Again, if you have the chance to see them live, rearrange plans and bring your friends- it’s bound to be a great night.