On Friday, March 1st a small crowd slowly began to gather inside The Space in anticipation for its evening show. Several attendees — including myself and the local acts — got settled in the best way you can at this venue, grabbing some of its signature smash burgers and drinks before the show began. Between local alternative/indie rock band Manifest West, Indianapolis punk group deadfoot, and the headlining, semi-local easycore band Safety? Always Off!, the audience that came for a head-banging night wasn’t disappointed.
The show kicked off a little bit before 9 p.m. with four-piece Manifest West hitting the stage. Despite their youthful appearance, the band’s stage presence and ability to engage with the audience felt as though they had been performing together for years. Both lead vocalist and guitarist Cade Whitt and bassist Roan O’Brien routinely riffed with each other and the audience which added to the excitement.
While several of Manifest West’s songs felt like early Modest Mouse, including the song “Manifest,” “Cowboy Blues” was where the band had its most fun. Donning cowboy hats, members of the band found their way off the stage and into the crowd while they played. The first act ended their night with a song that paid homage to the Champaign-Urbana area called “I-72.”
Even though their show was over, the band’s night wasn’t done as they found their way into the crowd to support deadfoot, another four-piece act. Unlike Manifest West, deadfoot left the banter behind to dive into its frenzied punk ballads. Reminiscent of Turnstile shows, deadfoot said little between tunes at first as they continued to serenade the crowd with both punk and pop-punk ballads.
The style and energy of the band led to a more rambunctious crowd, as lead vocalist Dan Wachtel of Safety? Always Off! provided assistance in getting a small pit going during the performance. With the crowd dancing and rocking out to the music, deadfoot’s lead vocalist Nicholas Weber soon found himself bantering about the venue’s Malört sauce and food. The band made sure to play its first-ever song “5 Gallon Buckets” during the middle of its set and closed the night out with Weber singing “Desperation,” while joining in on the moshing.
After the first two acts were done, it was time for the headliner. With a warmed-up and rambunctious crowd ready to dance once again, Safety? Always Off! found their way to the stage and fed off the energy they helped create for the opening acts. Both Manifest West and deadfoot found themselves amongst the crowd, moshing and dancing as lead vocalist Dan Wachtel belted out their first song “Bittersweet.” By the second song, one member of the band had found their way on top of an amp, which amplified the type of show the band was looking to put on.
Safety? Always Off! is a five-piece set with a sound similar to the band A Day to Remember. They had a great stage presence and were fantastic at engaging with the crowd and supporting their opening acts. Despite a quick malfunction with the mic — which was handled professionally by Wachtel — the band’s performance was excellent and they even got the audience singing with a cover of “Sugar, We’re Going Down” by Fall Out Boy.
Friday night’s show at The Space was a great representation of the alternative rock and punk scene in Champaign-Urbana. While one act performed, the other two were in the audience, lending their support and creating the type of crowd they would want to play to. The venue was fantastic as always, with owner Doug Hodges routinely providing each act an extra hand with setting up and tearing down their equipment between sets.
While all three bands can be found online, be sure to catch them live the next time they’re booked at one of C-U’s many venues.
- Learn more about deadfoot on Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp and Spotify.
- Learn more about Manifest West on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Spotify and their website.
- Learn more about Safety? Always Off on Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp and Spotify.
