Icon for Hire Live at The Palladium Upstairs, Worcester MA | Photos + Review

On September 13th, the Icon for Hire show was touted as a fifteen year victory lap for their debut LP Scripted, yet it went well beyond this billing to act as an exhibit of the band’s resilience within the harsh realities of the music industry. The married couple core of Ariel Bloomer and Shawn Jump went rapid-fire through nu-metallic pop punk anniversary cuts “Pieces”, “Get Well” and “Off With Her Head”, bouncing off each other’s energy from each end of the stage like fifteen years ago was just a recent memory. Candid moments were shared between songs with the packed Worcester Upstairs, detailing the good, bad, and ugly of the duo’s journey during both the recording of their first full-length and the ensuing aftermath. This jaded honesty made these youthful anthems seem as if they truly grew with both their author and audience, functioning less as a nostalgia trip and more of a hopeful step towards the future (with a sly smirk and plenty of bite for good measure). 

Photos by: Amanda (Mandy) Spring | Guest review by Brent McCann

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