Friday, April 6^th was a day of hard choices for hardcore Holland. Terror was playing up north with Death Before Dishonor, Midnight Souls was playing in the southeast alongside Veils and The Long Haul, and two or more local shows were going on. We decided to go see The Ghost Inside and Parkway Drive in Amsterdam, supported by Miss May I and Confession.

I think we can all agree that seeing a big band like Parkway Drive has its downsides. Being crammed up in a big room with about 1300 kids in colorful t-shirts simply doesn’t have the same feel as seeing More Than Life in a 300 capacity space with people that seem to share the same attitude. But – and it’s a big BUT, both bands KILLED it that night and that’s what it is and should be about.

The Ghost Inside has been touring continuously in support of their 2010 release Returners and since then, they’ve grown tremendously. That year they were headlining a European tour with For The Fallen Dreams, and turned a 400 capacity venue in Arnhem (NL) upside down. The year after, they played the Etnies stage at Groezrock festival – what might have been the best performance of that weekend, and secured a spot on the Eastpak Antidote tour, where they played alongside A Day To Remember and August Burns Red. On Friday night, again, they didn’t disappoint. After a warming up by Miss May I, the crowd went crazy after singer Jonathan Vigil came up to set off the show. The Los Angeles, California quintet played a lot of tracks of their 2010 effort Returners, threw in some golden oldies off their 2008 record Fury and the Fallen Ones, and played a brand new track of their forthcoming Epitaph Records debut. We’re looking forward to see the band play at Groezrock Festival this year, and can’t wait to hear their new record.

When the lights died down to welcome Parkway Drive on stage, the crowd went bezerk and burst out into an anthem, calling the band on stage. It’s insane to see how fast this band has grown in the past few years – knowing that they started out as a bunch of kids that knew each other from surfing, living a DIY lifestyle, and flying to Europe for the first time to play a totally unbooked tour. Even though they’re a sponsored band now, playing huge shows, and selling incredible amounts of merchandise every night – I still see a bunch of surf dudes on stage having the time of their lives. They’re still a sincere band, and take nothing for granted. That being said, it’s cool to see that frontman Winston McCall supports upcoming bands like Survival, and new brands like Life Long by wearing their merchandise on stage.

Parkway Drive played a hell of a show on Friday, and left a pleased crowd. The band composed a mixed setlist, which included songs of Deep Blue and Horizons. In the one-hour plus set, they also played a very old track from 2005’s Killing With A Smile, and a brand new, untitled track of their new album. People that are attending this tour definitely get value for their money. It was a great, energetic evening with outstanding performances by both bands.

Words by Tim van Reyswoud
Photos by Dasha Veselovskaya