Dayseeker with The Funeral Portrait and Night Rider
Headliners Music Hall
Louisville, KY
September 18th, 2025
The evening of September 18th was a whirlwind of music, fun, and pre-festival excitement as California post-hardcore band Dayseeker performed a Louder Than Life Festival side show at Headliners Music Hall ahead of their festival performance the next day. The room was PACKED with fans (it looked to be nearly sold out), who quickly filled out the floor and the balcony, ready to sing their hearts out this evening. Opening the show this evening was metalcore band Night Rider whose fun mix of metal, hardcore, and synth sounds warmed up the crowd! Singer Dennis Tvrdik, with his short mullet, (self-described) white Miami Vice suit, and sunglasses was all energy on stage, with he and his band mates getting the crowd dancing and having fun. Starting their set with “Cold Comfort”, they performed a 7-song set list that included “Disaster”, “Nemesis”, “Survive”, “The Dark”, “Rearview”, and “Collar”. It was a great start to the evening. Next up was Atlanta emocore/metalcore/post-hardcore band The Funeral Portrait. Having been a band for 10+ years, they have garnered a devoted and loyal fan base, with many such fans in attendance this evening. Before the band went on stage, several of the members warmly greeted fans and had a visibly deep connection with their fan base. These guys are a great live band, full of energy, crowd engagement, and a touch of a theatrical feel to their performance. They had fun with each other on stage and gave 100% to their fans this evening, with sing alongs and high-fives from Jennings to those along the barricade, with the crowd matching the band’s energy throughout the set!
Dayseeker is a dynamic live band that engages with the crowd and makes sure everyone is having a good time. Early in the set, singer Rory Rodriguez told the crowd, “We welcome old and new fans alike! There’s just one condition though-you have to sing loud!”, to which the crowd happily obliged. The band started out with “Pale Moonlight” and “Shapeshift” from their forthcoming album Creature In The Black Night, continuing on with a varied set list that included some older fan favorites , as well. It was a fun surprise during the band’s third song, “Dreamstate”, to see Garrett Russell of Silent Planet come out on stage to sing with the band!
Rodriguez expressed gratitude to the fans this evening for being here, saying that the show had only been announced about two weeks prior and that everyone here this evening could be at Louder Than Life but chose to be here and how it means a lot to the band. He had talked quite a bit throughout the evening with the crowd, making it clear how much the band’s fans mean to them. Towards the end of the set, the band performed a beautiful cover of Evanesance’s “My Immortal”, with Rodriguez and guitarist Gino Sgambelluri starting the song acoustically, with bassist Ramone Valerio and drummer Zac Mayfield joining them for a powerful finish. “Finishing” their set with “Sleeptalk”, the band then came back out for an encore, ending the evening with “Neon Grave”. It was a really fun night of music ahead of the festival!
Night Rider
The Funeral Portrait
Dayseeker
