Y’know… there's just something about a small Texas tour that really hits you different. No arenas, no production budget spectacle — just a band and the people who never stopped caring, packed into a room on a Thursday night in Austin.
Firstly, let's get this out of the way for any of y’all coming to a show at Come and Take It Live: if you're planning on hitting any of these shows, please either rideshare or use their designated safe zones (which you can find here). The tow trucks in this area do not play, & chances are you’ll be trapped in a scammy QR code lot that overcharges for the privilege of a parking space.
Outside of the parking situation, there was one thing that was different tonight: the upper level of the venue was completely closed off. Rumor in the crowd was that the top floor had been turned into a green room for Woe, is Me and Jamie's Elsewhere, though I couldn't confirm that personally. Either way, everyone was contained to the lower level, which kept the energy concentrated in one central place. Despite the bigger names on the bill, the crowd never got uncomfortably packed & out of control — comfortable distances, room to move, and easy to get around the stage & to the bars. And as always, there are plenty of TVs livestreaming the stage view so you can get comfy & get a nice view from literally anywhere.
Bridges Ablaze
Bridges Ablaze is a duo made up of Brien Allen & Ruben Zamora. Opening a bill like this is no small task, but these two walked out like they'd been doing it all their lives. There's just something commanding about performers who don't need to fill up every square inch of the stage to make you feel like they absolutely own the energy in the room.
Their sound is the kind that sneaks up on you. It's full of heavy lyrics wrapped in genuinely beautiful melodies, a tragic & haunting taste of chaos that weaves in without wreaking havoc on the rest of the song. It's controlled intensity and life; that balance lands exactly the way it needs to. The crowd locked in quickly for them and swayed along to every song.
Vilamoura
I knew the second the Vilamoura set was about to start because the crowd physically began to move toward the stage in this slow, collective drift. The last time I caught their show was at this same venue, opening up with Notions for Volumes back in May. People were curious then with a slower build, warming to a band they hadn't yet decided to fully commit to. Tonight was a completely different story — from the moment I walked through the doors, there were die-hard Vilamoura fans already making their homes at the barricade, decked out in the signature band merch. While I scoped out the venue, I could hear the excitement building, people nearby going back and forth about their favorite songs and what they were hoping to hear tonight. That kind of pre-show buzz is an earned right, not a given.
The Austin local band consists of vocalist JonJon Sotomayor (cleans), Josh Hiber (screams), Don Shipman on guitar, Josh Valdez on bass, and Payton Holekamp on drums. Tonight they cranked out a five-song set — "Spirited Away," "Craven," "Dissolve," "Morning Star" (a crowd favorite) — and closed their time with the latest release, "LOST." That duality between JonJon's melodic delivery and Josh's gut-wrenching screams is a huuuuuge part of what makes this sound addicting. You get the hook and gut punch all in the same breath; hell, sometimes in the same damn line. They used every single inch they could of that tiny stage! Jumps, screams — Josh has this habit of crouching all the way down when he's pulling that fierce sound from deep within, and easily this band was the most kinetic of the night.
If Vilamoura isn't on your bands-to-binge list yet, fix it. I spoke with Josh towards the end of the show, and he was brimming with excitement. "We have so many cool things coming up, we can't say just yet, but stay tuned. It's big!"
KVDE
Surprisingly, this was the first I'd ever heard of KVDE, the Dallas-based solo hard rock artist that was raised up in the small town of Cumby, Texas. He's grown at an insane rate the last few years through sheer hard work, grit, and a penchant for perfecting the various twists of the music world.
Hearing his music live, I can see why the hell he pulled in so many dancy fans. His connection to the audience was legit, and I found myself getting pretty hyped as I carefully navigated through the crowd. His sound blended metalcore with a fun electronic atmospheric vibe! In a room like this one at Come and Take It Live, that mashup translated into something I'm finding hard to categorize right now... it was like grungy R&B with notes of country twang and metalcore intensity. At some point I stopped trying to name it and just enjoyed the vibes, random cha-cha dance groove moments and all.
KVDE is building something crazy, and he's been doing it entirely to the beat of his own drum. Keep an eye on him.
Woe, Is Me
Alright — THIS was the "crowd packed in and ready to rumble" set of the night. Woe, Is Me took the stage, and the crowd was goddamn ready for this.
The Atlanta-born metalcore band formed in 2009 reunited in 2022 after some time away, and their 2025 album "Daybreak" marked their first full-length release in over a decade. They burst open their set with their beloved Pop Goes Punk rendition of Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night" and the room erupted in a joyful dance party. People were singing, moving, just having the kind of unguarded fun that's hard to really see out in the world's heaviness these days.
From there, the set pulled hits mixed from "Daybreak" alongside deeper catalog cuts outta yesteryear. The crowd cherished every second of each song. Guitarist Kevin Hanson anchored the set while Hance Alligood and Michael Bohn fed off the crowd's energy the entire way through.
Woe, is Me came back because they had more to give us, and "Daybreak" proves it. This is a band in full swing, evolving, and giving us the kind of night we can cherish for years to come. If you slept on this tiny Texas run, you NEED to fix that as soon as you can and catch them out on stage.
Jamie's Elsewhere
Closing out the night with Jamie's Elsewhere felt like a damn reward. The Sacramento post-hardcore band has been rocking the scene since 2005, with vocalist Aaron Pauley returning to the fold around 2020, and having him back is a big part of why seeing them perform live still slams into you the way it did back in the grungy 2010s.
Their most recent release, the "Alchemical" EP, dropped in June 2025, and the set pulled songs from across their albums, spanning early records to most recent material — things like "Antithesis," "They Said a Storm Was Coming," and "Traveler" chief among them. The fans that came out for this show were absolute die-hards, full stop. I watched someone standing next to me, tears running down her face, singing every word directly from her heart back at Aaron Pauley (lead vocals). These fans never miss a show, and I know that relationship between band and crowd is hard-earned.
The set itself was what it needed to be — no frills, no unexpected gaps, just song after song landing where it needed to be with each person who held these tracks near and dear. "Alchemical" showed that the new era fits in right alongside the old without skipping any beats (which is harder to pull off than it sounds.)
I hope you don't miss the next time any of these artists are hitting the road. This tiny Texan tour was one of those that people will be talking about for a while, and be sure that Jamie's Elsewhere crowd is going to come around. Austin showed up for them, and that's pretty damn cool. If you were there, you already know. If you weren't, I suggest you go find the next date on their run and fix that. Some bands never really leave you, and a night like this is exactly why.
