The Wrecks at Emo's 5/24

Written by Claire Hookstra

Image courtesy of Lava Records

The Los Angeles-based pop-rock group, The Wrecks, embarked on the ‘INSIDE: OUTSIDE Tour’ to celebrate its latest EP, INSIDE:, in April. Composed of frontman Nick Anderson, guitarist Nick Schmidt, bassist Aaron Kelley, and drummer Billy Nally, The Wrecks put on a perfected performance of quintessential rock band chaos at Emo’s in Austin, Texas, on 5/24. 

Benjamin Carter started the night with soulful vocals and high-energy tracks. He treated the audience to the unreleased “Backseat Driver,” a collaboration with Nick Anderson of The Wrecks. Adorned with a Buc-ee’s beaver charm around his neck, the Texas crowd welcomed Carter with fan-made signs and gleeful sways throughout his groovy set. 

Quarters of Change took the stage next, a New York rock group. Bathing in dark blue light, the band worked through their most recent discography, playing “Tightrope” and “Do or Die” from their latest record, Portraits. With a much heavier sound than the previous act, the mixture of Carter’s pop vocals and Quarters of Change’s intense bass and drum lines served as the perfect warm-up for the headlining act. 

The crowd buzzed with giddy anticipation while waiting for The Wrecks. The stage, decorated with vines and greenery, a laundry line, and a large “The Wrecks” backdrop, went dark, and Emo’s erupted with cheers. Running onstage, the group fled into “Sonder,” as the crowd skyrocketed into the air and jumped along to the upbeat track. As “Out of Style” began, everyone from the most diehard fan in the front row to the dads back at the sound booth, was bouncing along to the song.

The electrifying “Feels So Nice” highlighted Anderson’s punk-like vocals and Nally’s intense drumming talents. As the bridge built through the song, the crowd only got more excited, the track ending with a giant dance party on the Emo’s floor. After a brief “Samsung vs. Apple” discourse between Anderson and a man in a banana costume (you read that right) in the crowd, Anderson parted the packed room down the middle as he jumped over the barricade. Singing “This Life I Have” in the crowd, Anderson started a mosh pit in the center of Emo’s. 

Continuing on with the show that I have decided to define as “perfected rockstar chaos,” Anderson made his way back onstage as Schmidt brought a fan onstage to sing the bridge of “Where Are You Now?” Lowering the microphone for the fan mid-way through the song, she and Anderson sang the bridge together as the crowd boomed with cheers and reassurance that she was absolutely killing it up there. 

A quick pause in quick-paced set, Anderson went solo and acoustic for the self-reflective ballad, "Normal." As he solemnly sang the repetitive chorus "I just wanna see the world like everybody else does," the crowd sang back to him with vigorous passion. The rest of the band re-entered the stage with smiles on their faces as the joined Anderson in the final chorus, a seamlessly beautiful end to the song.

Working their way through songs off of Infinitely Ordinary and INSIDE:, there was never a dull moment throughout the show. The banter between Anderson and Schmidt kept the playful energy of the set up between songs, and Anderson’s crowd work is truly unmatched. Ending the main set with the euphoric three-track run of “Fvck Somebody,” “Speed,” and “Infinitely Ordinary,” the audience claps and whoops were nearly louder than the band itself. 

After a quick break, The Wrecks graced the stage once more for an encore of “Freaking Out” and “Favorite Liar.” Banana man (remember him?) made his way onstage for “Favorite Liar” as the crowd, somehow not yet too exhausted, truly gave it their all, dancing the night away to the infamous chorus. 

As someone who attends concerts quite frequently, I have seen some pretty unenthused crowds. People wait all day to be close to their favorite artist and pay loads of money to see a band, then remain still and solemn throughout the show. Fans of The Wrecks do not fall into this category. Every single track, slow or fast, sad or hopeful, new or old, had fans rocking out and screaming the lyrics. I watched strangers dance together, friends put their arms around each other and sway to the beat, and fathers and sons sing to each other as their favorite song played. The Wrecks completely transported Emo’s out of the humid Texas night to their own chaotically beautiful pop-rock world of INSIDE:.

Check out INSIDE: on Spotify and Apple Music