The Anchor at Cat’s Cradle

Photos and Writing by Olivia Rozinski

It’s not going to be a surprise that I like going to concerts. But getting excited to be at a concert is surprisingly a rarity for me. Usually, I’m just happy to go and have a great time; think meeting up with your friends for a drink vibes. But for this show? This show, I was excited to go to. I’d been a fan of The Anchor for just a short time before I saw this concert and I jumped on the chance to go. While there, I got to chat with some longer term fans, a couple of them even driving 7+ hours from Tennessee to experience all that is The Anchor. The Anchor absolutely put on a show for them.

Opening the night was Echonest, Chapel Hill, NC. Now, I try to keep things positive and take everyone’s reactions into account when writing write ups. For Echonest, however, this is all me and my opinion. Echonest was the best opener I’ve heard to date. They, quite literally, shocked me with how good they were. I did chuckle a bit while I was listening to them because I think the whole audience felt similar- it felt like we were all stunned children watching someone do something extremely complicated with deceiving simplicity. It was evident that not only did they love playing but they were also very skilled and technically adept at playing. In terms of their music, it is mostly instrumental, with a few vocals thrown into certain songs, but it had an almost classical tone to a few of their songs. Their songs became more metal focused as their set continued and it created such a great transition to the next band.

Notions, Austin, TX, followed with nu-metal/metal core as a great second band for the night. I was able to chat with a few members before the show and if I could sum them up with a word, it would be energy. They had it from the second the doors opened to well after their set and they absolutely brought it during their show. With a mix of rap and metal, some songs leaning more to one side and some songs being a mix of both. Notions covered all their bases with head bangers, catchy songs, and even a couple slower songs that only involved the vocalist. I overheard a fan talk about how they listen to Notions while working out and training for the sports they play. I honestly couldn’t think a better setting to listen to them in. If you’re looking for high energy head bangers, Notions will absolutely not disappoint.

The Anchor, Denver, CO, closed out the night and carried that energy into the absolute best crowd work I have ever seen….ever. Throughout the show the vocalist was in and out of the crowd, leading a conga line, getting the crowd to group dance – a la Squidward during the talent show episode (her words, not mine). She was also simply engaging with fans. Several times throughout the night she hugged a front rower, grabbed a phone from them to help them record the show, or just held their hands and smiled with them- all while giving some absolutely shockingly heavy vocals like it was light work. I’d be remise to not mention how the rest of the band absolutely killed it. Several times throughout their set I was making the ‘look of disgust’ one makes at a particularly nasty part of song just because one, or more, decided to go hard. This whole night was filled with genuinely talented and skilled musicians and The Anchor was such a wonderful blend of high energy, crowd work, and skill. The Anchor is no small name, they recently finished up a UK tour and I absolutely consider myself lucky to have seem them in such an intimate venue (Cat’s Cradle) before they’ll undoubted outgrow those venues and can no longer involve the crowd to the extent I saw.