Movements’ Legendary Final Leg of the Ruckus Tour
BY ALYSSA SCINTAMovements, post-harccore collective from Rancho Santa Margarita, California, toured the Ruckus album for the third time in North America this spring. To end this era with a bang, they provide the best show yet; performing songs from older eras, testing the limits of visual design in the post-hardcore scene, and performing their best shows yet before heading on a potential break from music.
Movements uses visual aesthetics as a smart tool when creating a live production, which is why I keep coming back to their shows. The element of the light up sign with their local creates not only an incredible photo op, but also is in line with their rigid aesthetic of colorful, dirty, but borderline glam grunge. Later on in the tour, the logo light was multicolored, opposed to my show which only showed white; I wish I was at a show in which I could see the light rig’s full potential.
Movements are joined with a parade of talented artists. In playing order, let's start with downward. Downward, hardcore shoegaze-inspired band from Oklahoma, absolutely ripped for the minimal time they had on that stage. The band commonly uses feedback as an instrument; holding their guitars to the amps as a chorus of screeching tools.
Next on the lineup was Scowl. Scowl instantly captured the attention of the crowd, and well, myself. With the bright green hair and unmistakable energy from the lead singer, the crowd was riled up from the start, without even needing the words from the band. This is my perfect example of feminine rage punk, and highly recommended if you are a fan of other bands such as Wolf Alice, Paramore, or fleshwater.
The last band to open up for Movements on this runthrough is Citizen. Because of the sheer popularity of Citizen, I thought it was a double headliner for a while after the announcement of the tour. Citizen was a popular favorite in the crowd, with the audience screaming the lyrics of their top hits almost as loud as the movements ones. As a stage design nerd, Citizen had a really interesting light setup, consisting of mirrors as well to add to shape interest and depth.
As Patrick, lead singer of Movements, opened up about the high possibility of a break in Movements’ production after this tour, I can’t recommend enough to catch this band on tour while you still can. A Movements show is a true treat, with something for everyone interested in the hardcore or punk genre.
