On February 13th, 2025- Highly Suspect performed at the Charleston Music Hall in Charleston SC on their As Above So Below tour with special guests: James and the Cold Gun and Family Dinner! I’ve never personally listened to Highly Suspect before, but so many friends told me to give them a chance. And I am so glad that I did. I’ve never seen such diversity in a crowd before and it made the night more memorable seeing all age groups enjoying music!
Opening the night was Family Dinner and this is another band that I never personally listened to which seeing them live added that extra tension and mystery. Will I like them? Will I not like them? And the answer to that question is that wow, my mind is blown. In a good way. Family Dinner on the way home was instantly added to my spotify playlist because this band knew how to set the tone for the rest of the show. They are a New York based band which instantly when the vocalist said that on stage; I liked them. I lived in New York my whole life and I will forever support that scene. Natalie (Vocalist) has such a bubbly and infectious tone while she sings that it made everyone in the crowd start to sing along! If you like alternative-rock; you will love them!
Family Dinner
Direct support was James and the Cold Gun. I never listened to this band as well, so seeing them live was a whole different experience for me because I didn’t know one single song, but the amount of energy this band brought to the stage left me speechless. I always say musicians not from the states are easily the best musicians out there. Coming from South Wales, James and the Cold Gun delivered such a bouncy and lively set that we all needed on a Thursday night! The vocalist stated during his set “I want you to text people and tell them that you love them. You never know what someone is going through” and as he said that I texted a bunch of my friends that I loved them and appreciated their existence. At the end of the day; I agree with the vocalist because we never truly know what someone is going through, but sometimes a simple message can make someone smile. I was a huge fan of the bassist in this band because I am a woman myself and I fully support women musicians in this industry. They don’t get enough credit and appreciation for what they do. At the end of the set, the vocalist came out and told the photographers that he appreciates them and gave us all a pound with his fist. Out of all the shows I’ve photographed, I’ve never experienced such a humble encounter before like that.
James and the Cold Gun
Finally it was time for Highly Suspect and sometimes I love going in blindsided not knowing the band because it makes the experience much more interesting. And like I stated before, I never listened to this band, but at the end of the night; I am glad my friends told me to take a shot to see them! When they started their set; one of their members instantly sprayed us with redbull I believe and we were not expecting that at all! Which made the beginning of their set very interesting! Highly Suspect had very difficult lights, so you know what that means as a photographer? We pay more attention to what the members do on stage and what they say to the crowd because not every show is going to be the best with lights. The vocalist had explosive energy throughout the whole set and it was hard to get photos of him because he was so erratic with his movements! I’m not complaining at all because at the end of the day as a reviewer and photographer, we love to see musicians have fun on stage and to keep us on our toes.The whole venue had so much love and admiration towards this band and now I can see why. Like I said before, I never listened to this band so I had no idea what songs were being performed, but I would go to another show just because of how their stage presence is and how much you can see in the musicians that they love what they do.
Highly Suspect
