Young Medicine kicked off their Blood And Chrome tour in Columbus, Ohio at Rumba Cafe on Thursday, April 17th. The Kansas City native band had never played in Columbus before, so I was personally eager to finally see them perform live. I have been a fan of Young Medicine since I accidentally stumbled upon their Spotify profile in 2020, and I specifically remember being captivated by their very unique sound, which is composed of metalcore with a hint of synths. Ever since I discovered their music, I have wanted to see them perform live.

The atmosphere at Rumba Cafe never disappoints due to it being a very intimate space with black walls and low lighting, as well as always having very friendly staff. The atmosphere was impeccable from the moment I stepped into the venue to the moment I left. Even though the venue is a small space, it offers a lot of options to stand if you do not want to be directly in front of the stage, which is fantastic for fans that have disabilities. 

The room quickly filled up with fans as the time for the opener to start grew closer. The opener for the first night of Young Medicine’s tour was Pray For Sleep, a local band from Columbus. The local band announced that this show was their last show ever as a band, so the energy was off the charts from the very first chord that was struck. After Pray For Sleep’s set concluded, the crowd waited eagerly for the main act to take the stage. 

From the moment that Young Medicine walked on stage, I knew that it was going to be a fantastic show. The time seemed to slip away during their 50 minute set because of how impressive the performance was. Michael McEvoy (drums) delivered a thrilling performance the entire set by maintaining a very steady groove, even during songs that contained more complex rhythms. Bret Liber (vocals/keytar) brought infectious energy throughout the entire set. If he wasn’t singing, screaming, or shredding on his keytar, he was jumping, dancing, headbanging, or even holding himself up over his keytar stand. Josh Hurst (vocals/guitar) also matched Bret’s energy with consistent headbanging and jumping, all while delivering impressive vocals. Although Bret and Josh have very different vocal tones, their voices seemed to melt into each other, creating a harmonious blend that felt like it was only one vocalist throughout the night. Bret and Josh also took the time to interact with their fans in between almost every single song in their set, which really showcases the bands’ close relationship with their fans. 

The energy from the band continued to grow as they played “Lost Boys”, “Not Human”, “Parasocial”, and “Lost In Futility”. The crowd specifically grew in excitement during “Not Human”. The fans in the first few rows were jumping and screaming, especially during the drum heavy breakdowns at the end of every single verse in the song. The production throughout the set was also impeccable. The sound was incredibly clear and impressive, and the lighting effects were very captivating and seemed to be unique to each song on the set. 

Overall, Young Medicine put on a very impressive live performance. From the vocals, the production, the sound, the energy, it was everything that any concert goer would want to see in a live performance. For me, it was well worth the 5 year wait.

You can buy tickets to The Blood and Chrome Tour here.

Follow Young Medicine on Instagram here.

All photos courtesy of Bekah Eiswald for Honorable Mention Magazine