REVIEW: Many Eyes Return to Headline the Underground
09/25 @ Empire Underground, Albany
Photos by Mia Palazzo
“Every song in the performance was packed with energy, inciting a moshpit, encouraging fans to scream along, and sparking excitement.”
Like many fall days in Albany, rain poured down from the sky and pooled in the sloped entranceway to Empire Underground. Despite the weather, the asphalt outside the venue was vibrating with life and amplifiers. In the buzzing pit in the middle of Empire Underground, multiple people sported crutches and water-resistent casts, expressing a dedication to the music and the scene that has the drive of a freight train. No early autumn weather or bodily injury could quash the energy that had built up around Many Eyes’ return to the Capital Region.
Formed in 2023, Many Eyes is a melodic hardcore band fronted by Keith Buckley, formerly of Buffalo-based band Every Time I Die. Buckley’s experience as a front man was clear as he took control of the room the moment he stepped on stage clad in a Bills Mafia shirt. The entire set was incredibly tight, barreling forward with high energy and great performance. Many Eyes played songs off their 2024 debut album, The Light Age, as well as tracks from their brand new EP, Combust. Every song in the performance was packed with energy, inciting a moshpit, encouraging fans to scream along, and sparking excitement. Buckley commented on the energy of the room more than once, happy to be kicking off this headlining tour in the Capital Region. This was not Many Eyes’ first time in Albany, or specifically Empire Underground. The band opened for New Jersey hardcore group Thursday in 2024 as part of a series of undersells. Now, the group returned to headline the venue, proving their ability to shine as both an opener and a headliner.
Many Eyes’ set was just one of four for the night. They were preceded by Western Mass’ After the Winter, Potsdam’s Sunflo’er, and Albany’s own LYCAN. All three opening acts drew interested, energetic crowds that showed no signs of slowing down. After the Winter presented a set of energetic heavy metal, running in and out of the crowd to garner involvement from as many people as possible. The energy stayed high, flowing into Sunflo’er’s set as they opened with a hardcore inspired cover of “Drift Away” by Dobie Gray. In a similar twist, the lead singer brandished a tambourine, playing it as aggressively and passionately as you would expect from a hardcore band. Local band LYCAN took the stage in Patrick Bateman inspired fake-blood stained button downs, giving us an early tease to the upcoming Halloween season.
Overall, the show at Empire Underground was an impressive, high energy series of performances that displayed the talent of Upstate New York and Western Mass’ local hardcore bands.
Check out Many Eyes on Instagram at @manyeyesmusic and on their website, manyeyesband.com. Follow Empire Live & Underground at @empirelivealbany and find more shows at empirelivealbany.com