Not Enough Space Dominates Greensboro on Summer Tour

Hailing from the hellfire of Orlando, Florida, the wrathful femme-fronted Not Enough Space has scorched the USA once again on their tour with The Word Alive this summer alongside the heatwave. Co-vocalists Liv Mitchell and Lizzie Raatma both boast lengthy résumés as vocalists, with Raatma getting her start at open mic nights back in university and Mitchell beginning at a young age in the 2010s. Though beginning as Raatma’s and former guitarist/vocalist Anthony Martinez’s pop-punk passion project, their style quickly evolved to a much heavier metalcore style, with the addition of Mitchell, Jacob Sawyer (bass), Tristan Kaos (lead guitar), and Maurice Jones (drums) fleshing out the band to the up-and-coming powerhouse it is today. They’ve joined The Word Alive on their tour to celebrate 10 years of their album Dark Matter and 15 years of Deceiver. The tour concludes next week in Michigan after 21 nights of shows, and you get to read all about their wicked night in Greensboro, North Carolina right now!

With their debut album, Weaponize Your Rage, last September, the 5-piece group ascended to new heights by supporting bands such as Born of Osiris and Capstan and an unexpected rise to fame on social media with the release of their top track “Primitive.” Mitchell added a moan into the breakdown, catching fans off guard, and was dubbed “moan-core” by the internet in typical online fashion. Millions of viewers got a rile out of it, and many stuck around to add to the band’s ever-growing fanbase, with others attracted by their devilishly gory aesthetics and downright funny presence both on and off the stage. Now, at the tail end of one of the hottest Julys in recorded history, Not Enough Space just funneled their rage-fueled inferno into Hangar 1819 and melted it from the inside out.

The moment the lights dimmed over the crowd and the band took the stage, all five fiery souls of Not Enough Space spun right into their first track of the night, “Eye 4 An Eye,” then transitioned directly into their latest album’s title track “Weaponize Your Rage.” Scattered fans quickly packed themselves together at the front of the stage to get the best look at the lively musicians moving around (sorry, Maurice!) and feel the bass from the subwoofers right in their guts. No one’s feet stood still as they pounced across the stage, giving fans a chance to see everyone up close no matter where on the stage they were standing. Without guitars or drumsticks to weigh them down, Liv and Lizzie were the most ferocious throughout the set, exchanging sweet melodies and guttural screams and squeals in every song. The two vocalists not only joked around on stage with each other but also with the fans to keep the energy high and every single eye captivated on the band.

A total of 8 tracks from Weaponize Your Rage were played out of the night's 10, with the exceptions being “Don’t Be Scared” and “No Way Out,” the band’s two biggest singles outside of album releases. There wasn’t a single lull in the action throughout the entire set, and even with “Mayday” being their calmest song, it was quickly amped back up into “Kill Eat Repeat,” generating a brutal wall of death to accompany it. As Not Enough Space kicked into their number-one track, “Primitive,” the beginning of the end was met with a surge of cheers and excitement, and Liv opened up the biggest mosh pit of the night so far for the breakdown. She and Lizzie undoubtedly had command of the entire crowd throughout the set - how could you not headbang along with such powerful vocals and instrumentals? Their sound is phenomenal in recordings, but it’s elevated to a whole new level when played live.

With how action-packed their set was, it was honestly hard to believe Not Enough Space was already leaving the set following that last song. I was still feeling like they had a few more songs left with them acting like they owned the place, which they absolutely did for almost an entire hour! Following their blazing 10-song set, The Word Alive took the stage with the audience already primed and ready for the headlining act. To my surprise, nearly a quarter of the crowd stayed in line to meet and greet the gals from the previous act as the show was still going! I think it’s perfectly safe to say that the five points of this infernal band stole the show. Although the band has yet to release any new music since they dropped their debut album, they do have new tracks in the works that we’ll hopefully hear soon! I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for their next drop, and I’m absolutely stoked to see them when they come to town next!