One thing I love about going to live shows is finding new bands. Sure, I may be going for one band in particular, but I will dive into the others before the show every time. The thrill of finding new music and supporting smaller artists is just as, if not more, fun than the bigger ones. As one of my newer fave bands (The Funeral Portrait) just hit the 1 million listener milestone, I decided I wanted to highlight some of the smaller bands captivating my playlists.

5. POET the Band

I discovered POET the Band last week when I acquired tickets to see Savage Hands and Minute to Midnight. I knew both of the other bands – in fact Minute to Midnight is later in this list. Their sound is so good. I was shocked they only have less than 1,400 listeners. I would place them in the metal core category with a sound that makes me think of Versus Me and Memphis May Fire. Their entire EP theprolgue is a hit. Picking one for this purpose of this post was difficult, but I think I have to go with asabovesobelow.

4. nitelife

I had the pleasure of seeing nitelife live with Rain City Drive last fall. I say pleasure because these guys just put on a fun show. You can tell they love what they are doing. Billing themselves as “Soul Punk,” they are pretty unique in their sound compared to what I normally listen to. They have punk elements couched in soul beats and electronics. It gets you grooving.

3. Galleons

Galleons showed up randomly in my If Not For Me radio list one night. I have a habit of hearing a song and rabbit trailing through their artist page. The song that drew me in was DeLorean which opens with the line “I don’t want to be another memory, I want to be a haunting reminder.” Love it. The rest of the lyrics are haunting and sad set to an upbeat, punk rhythm. Casadastra is also high on my list of favorite Galloeons songs. Last thing, don’t sleep on their instrumentals…

2. Minute After Midnight

Minute After Midnight is another find through an artist radio. He doesn’t have a whole lot of songs – I counted 11 – but what he has is highly enjoyable. The newest release, Flames, hits all of my metal core boxes. Ghost, a bit more melodic than Flames, is the song that got me hooked. I highly recommend giving the whole Minute After Midnight catalogue a play through.

1. Oni

Oni was the opening band when I saw Pop Evil and Bad Wolves last fall. I love this find. The lyrics are powerful, the rhythms driving, and he puts on a good show. Control takes the top of the list for me, but I would be remiss if I didn’t share the latest single, Shouldn’t Feel This Way. If you want a song that makes you feel all of the feels, this song is for you. Very few songs have elicited such a visceral reaction out of me. There may have been tears. As the lead singer for Pop Evil said: This band is going places.