Line-up

Venue

Black Box, Williams Center

15 Sylvan St., 07070, Rutherford, NJ, US

www.williamscenter.co/

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Additional details

Doors open: 18:30

Concert in your area for Rock.

Find out more about Rock.

Hit the Lights biography

Hit the Lights (formed in 2003) is an Ohio-based American emo-influeced pop punk band known for their high-intensity live shows.

Prior to Hit the Lights, vocalist Colin Ross and guitarist Omar Zehery had been members of the local band The Goodbye Session. Guitarist Nick Thompson previously performed with the band the Summer Departure, and along with former Hawthorne Heights bassist David Bermosk and drummer Nate Van Dame, formed Hit the Lights in 2003. The band made their recording debut on the EP “Leaving Town Tonight” released in 2004. Hit the Lights’ subsequent EP “Until We Get Caught”, was issued on Silent Movie Records a year later in 2005, and reissued by Triple Crown Records shortly after.

The band’s debut album “This Is a Stick Up… Don’t Make It a Murder”, was issued by Triple Crown in 2007 and reached No. 41 on the U.S. Heatseekers chart. Hit the Lights had earned a significant fan base which led the group to headline the Let It Ride Tour 2007, supported by Just Surrender, All Time Low, and Valencia. September 2007 marked the last performance for vocalist Colin Ross, with guitarist Nick Thompson taking over the reigns. Thompson’s first album as lead vocalist, “Skip School Start Fights” arrived in 2008 and spawned the videos “Stay Out” and “Drop the Girl”. The album reached No. 97 on the Billboard 200 and was supported by the band joining the roster at 2009’s Warped Tour and a U.S. headlining tour.

After embarking on a tour of Australia alongside New Found Glory and Fireworks, Hit the Lights signed with major label Universal Republic Records. Amidst the pressure to write a Top 40 hit and label restructuring the band later asked to be freed of their Universal Republic contract, and subsequently released the teaser EP “Invicta” in late 2011. The album, also entitled “Invicta” arrived in January 2012, and was supported by a East Coast tour which included former singer Colin Ross.

Live reviews

I've been a fan of CIWWAF since I first heard them play on tour with Hellogoodbye back in 2006. Their shows are almost always small venues but they're occasionally on tours like Warped and Take Action.

They went on bit of a hiatus which is why there's no recent albums, so expect to hear a mix of popular songs from Same Old Blood Rush and Rotation. The shows I went to back in their heyday were definitely higher energy crowds than the shows I've been to recently, but I'm pretty sure they'll pick up speed during/after Warped this summer.

Shaant told me after a show in Fall 2013 that they ARE working on new music, so hopefully that will come out soon (a few demos have since popped up on their SoundCloud page).

Forget any misgivings you may have had about Shaant, he has really cleaned up his act and his story is pretty inspirational. He is really committed to the fans who stuck with them and it shows. When I saw them in NYC he talked to every. single. person. who stayed after the show. If you're looking for other older members I know Jeff and Tom have been with him on most of the recent shows I've been to, but I don't know if it's a permanent reunion.

If you're totally new to CIWWAF, I would also recommend getting follow happy. Shaant is really active on almost all social media platforms and is pretty responsive with fans, so if you want the inside scoop on Cute (or just good life advice) go follow him!

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quidprosno

Punk has resonated in America through the ages since its explosion in the 80s. California accepted it with open arms, it also spread to other States and other decades and was manipulated with genres including pop, rock and electro. One band keeping the formula completely pure is Ohio outfit Hit the Lights. Since breaking onto the scene in 2003 with one huge sound, the band have been climbing up lineups and packing out larger and larger venues ever since. Beginning as something of a cult flavour, they now have a universal pull to fans of classic punk.

Their authentic sounds and raucous live shows leave the crowds consistently wanting more and more as they tear apart riffs and basement anthems up onstage night after night with a relentless amount of energy. It all looks completely chaotic when the five musicians come together and even though the guitars sound fractured and the drums as though they could break apart at any moment, this pivoting on the point of disaster is part of what makes a Hit the Lights show so brilliant. As the whole room is united in a singalong to 'Bodybag' the appeal is more than clear.

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