Finally, after having met members of this band over the past couple years, I’ve managed to witness When The Sun Sets live and in person. They are a Chicago-local pop-punk band, and they know how to put on a show. They were not the headliner, which I didn’t realize, and if I had planned better with my camera, I would have had more SD card space to photograph the whole night – amateur mistake!

It was a night of music and fun at X-Ray Arcade on a weekday night. Despite it being the middle of a week, people did show up for a good time. The first band to take the stage was ValleyKiL, and they were amazing! Female-fronted – sign me up, and I will be close to the front. Her vocals were unmatched, and I loved their whole set. 

When The Sun Sets was next, and I was fully energized for them. They broke out all the good songs, including their cover of “M+M” by Blink-182. They did give the crowd an option to choose a different cover, but we wanted Blink, and that’s what we got. Let me tell you, finally hearing songs you’ve only listened to through your phone played live is such an amazing experience. Also, I had reviewed “Serotonin Sunrise” when it was released, and that song was even better to hear performed right in front of me after it being on repeat for a really long time. I wish their set had been longer. 

The final opener was Out In Front, and also a female-fronted band: amazing, no words. They ate, and I loved their cover of “Sugar We’re Going Down” by Fall Out Boy. It was a classic, and I did indeed rock out to it. Check them out for sure!!!

The headliner of the night was local and goes by the name Crash House. Unfortunately, by this time, I was near the back and tired from a long day. I did love watching their set with a giant mosh pit break out – in fact, I’m pretty sure a wall of death happened that night. 

Each band bought their own sound and personality to the stage. It was a wonderful time, and each of the bands that played deserve being checked out. 11/10 would recommend.