GALLERY: Drain
TORONTO, ON | JUNE 5, 2023 | BY FABIANA MOREIRA
If you have been following the recent explosion of popularity in the hardcore scene, you may have already heard of DRAIN. If not, you certainly will be hearing a lot more of them in the very near future. The band has been out making their rounds in support of their latest release, “LIVING PROOF”, and made a recent stop in Toronto as part of this, selling out a larger venue from when they last visited the city.
As the album name illustrates, frontman Sammy Ciaramitaro explained in a quick interview released just prior to the record’s release that simply put, this is the living proof of their years of hard work and dedication to playing music together, and that their listeners as individuals are also the living proof of whichever journey in life they choose to pursue if they are willing to continue putting in the work to getting there. It’s hard to not be intrigued by this positive message and energy that they have embodied, and this set the tone for the collective excitement shared by everyone present for the evening.
The band made sure to make their set as much about the fans as possible and kept it interactive, encouraging people ahead of time to bring beach gear to their shows and to just have fun. There was even a patron who showed up in a full banana suit who could not be missed. They were well-prepared, as beach balls were being inflated along the balcony just prior to them starting. Sammy later announced to the crowd that some of his family were in attendance, to which he further explained that his mom’s family were from Hamilton, a city just outside of Toronto. He also acknowledged “Steel City Hardcore”, the former a nickname for the working-class town, and referring to the emergence of many bands forming from this region in the scene. The crowd erupted and cheered on throughout this, and were elated to hear of the personal connection to Canada.
Opening with heavy-hitter “Feel the Pressure”, Sammy made no shortage of surprises, and hopped off the stage to climb up the barricade and pass the microphone to the crowd to perform along with him. In fact, he ended up spending the majority of the set in the same area, and some took to crowd surfing to reach the front of the barricade in order to get a chance to yell along on a verse or two. Bandmates Cody Chavez, Tim Flegal, and recent addition Sam Jameson, kept the energy going and kept tossing beach balls back into the crowd while performing. The majority of the setlist consisted of tracks from the new album, including a cover of the Descendents’ “Good Good Things”. They ended this off with the title track, as well as the title track from their previous release, “California Cursed”.
You can catch DRAIN on select dates left on the tour including in Texas, and their home state of California, and they will also be making a few stops throughout the UK and Europe later in August.
