For a band, selling out Heaven at the Masquerade means playing in front of 1,450 people, and that is exactly what the bands on Catch Your Breath’s “Broken Souls Tour” got to do this past Friday. The sun hadn’t even risen before people started arriving, with a line forming outside the venue as early as 6 a.m.. With temperatures dropping below freezing during the day, these fans demonstrated the epitome of dedication.
Hailing from Austin, Texas, Catch Your Breath is still relatively new to the alternative rock scene. Despite officially forming in 2017, the band’s big “breakthrough” came in 2022 through singles “Shame on Me” and “Dial Tone,” the latter landing them a spot on three different rock music charts. Their success was the perfect set-up for their debut album in 2023.
This tour is the band’s first headliner, and its success has been palpable, with venues selling out daily. When their Atlanta show was first announced, it was set to be in the Hell, the Masquerade’s second-largest stage with a capacity of around 550. However, after the clear demand for tickets, the show was upgraded to Heaven, more than doubling the audience size.
Fans were in for a long show, too;, doors opened at 5:30 p.m., and three opening bands were on the lineup before Catch Your Breath even started.
The first up was If Not For Me. The Pennsylvania-based metalcore band started the night off by immediately turning up the energy. Despite also being newer to the scene — their second album was released just last year — many fans in the crowd seemed familiar with them, excited to sing along with frontman Patrick (Patty) Glover, whose vocals sounded like they had been pulled straight from the album.
Following them was Archers, a four-piece rock band that maintains an independent status, meaning they are not under a music label. Lead singer Nathanael Pulley’s soulful voice blends naturally with bassist Oscar Porter’s metal vocals, adding a clear musical depth to their already lyrically vulnerable songs. Porter was a crowd favorite; at one point, he asked the crowd if they wanted to say “hi” to his dad, and, after being met with eager cheers, he held out his phone for everyone to yell their hellos.
The final opener of the night was Atlanta-based band, The Funeral Portrait. Because it was their hometown show, there was definitely a portion of fans there specifically to see the group. ; tThey also had an exclusive shirt at their merch table for the night. In a particularly emotional moment, the band played one of their newer songs, “Hearse for Two,” which is about the passing of lead singer Lee Jennings’s grandmother, for the first time in front of Jennings’s mother,, who was in attendance. Characterized by high-energy and theatrical performances, The Funeral Portrait was the perfect choice to immediately precede the headliners.
The headlining act began at 9 p.m., the entrance of their set being marked with the iconic THX intro sound, the stage lights shining a bright blue before dimming back down in anticipation of the band’s entrance.
Lead singer Josh Mowery took to the stage first, strolling on in a reflective white coat to a crescendo of cheers from the crowd. The other band members were soon to follow, and they launched into their first — and newest — song, “Ghost Inside The Shell,” from the Deluxe version of their album “Shame on Me.” As Catch Your Breath’s first and only full-length album, all but one song on the setlist came from that record.
The contents of the setlist re-emphasizes how impressive the show’s turnout truly was. For a band to sell out Heaven is already a significant achievement on its own accord. To secure a sold-out show as a band so new that the setlist only has one album’s worth of songs is a step above.
The band did not have any kind of flashy lighting, set or outfits, but they kept the crowd engaged throughout their entire set with just their music. They had barely walked offstage before the crowd was chanting for one more song. Mowery walked back onstage, lifting one side of the beanie covering his ears to humorously show the crowd he was trying to listen to them.
After the audience chanted again, he called the rest of the band back onstage, “Guys, they want one more song!”
While the band might just be getting started, a nearly 1,500-person audience is no small feat for their first headlining tour.
Catch Your Breath’s “The Broken Souls Tour” will continue across the U.S. and Canada through the beginning of March before heading to Europe and the U.K. to start “The Savages Tour.”