Catch Your Breath brings Broken Souls tour to the Bottom Lounge in Chicago

In the final stretch of the Broken Souls Tour, Catch Your Breath made a stop by Bottom Lounge in Chicago on the 4th of March, bringing along The Funeral Portrait, Archers, and If Not For Me with them for the ride. Despite the rather cold and gloomy weather outside, it was a night filled with high energy, heavy music, and a lot of on-stage antics.

I’ve had the chance to catch If Not For Me before at a DIY venue that’s local to me, and I can say without a doubt that their energy onstage and ability to work the crowd translates through to much larger venues. For a band that hopes to blend inspiration from metal artists such as Bring Me the Horizon with melodic rock and pop, I have to say that they’ve achieved this well. Their use of electronics to create unique intros & outros, as well as adding depth to the sound that can’t be achieved with just traditional instruments, works well with their contrasting vocals throughout their music. While 2024 was a breakout year for them, their upcoming Europe/UK tour and a spot on the 2025 Louder than Life lineup seem to predict that 2025 will be even better.

Archers has worked hard to solidify their sound as a mix of metalcore and pop punk independently over the past few years, before recently signing on to SBG Records. They’re another band I’ve had the chance to see a couple of times prior, and each time is better than the last. The band works hard to keep the energy going the whole set, encouraging the crowd to get moving and clap along. They had some surprises up their sleeve as well, bringing out If Not For Me’s vocalist Patrick Glover to join them for “Say This Sober”, and bassist Oscar Porter climbing up onto the barricade later on just to hang out while playing. Archers are also heading off to visit the UK & Europe for the first time soon, and you can catch them at various festivals this year including Download Festival, Rock for People, Greenfield Festival, Summerfest, and more.

If you’re looking for a band that truly puts on a show, then you’ll want to keep your eyes on The Funeral Portrait. An emotional rock band from Atlanta, Georgia, they have a sound I can only describe as the lovechild of punk and classic rock with a darker edge. Aiming to create a safe space for their fans (dubbed ‘The Coffin Crew’), the band makes music calling out to all those who feel as if they don’t fit in. Additionally, they also address certain mental health themes in tracks such as “Dark Thoughts” – a song based on vocalist Lee Jennings’ own experiences with OCD. Their stage presence is nothing short of a full-hearted performance – from Jennings occasionally donning a cowboy hat and taking a mascot head (‘Buc-Lee’) from the crowd to display on stage, the whole band kissing and spitting on each other, to bassist Robert Weston holding his instrument in the air by just his teeth – there’s always something going on to draw your attention. The band also values everyone getting a chance to say hi, with Jennings declaring everyone who wanted to should stop by after the show – and if they ran out of time inside, he’d move the greetings to the outside the venue. Like the others, The Funeral Portrait has a busy schedule lined up for this year – opening for Ice Nine Kills in the U.S.A. this summer, as well as festival appearances at Sonic Temple, Welcome to Rockville, Download Festival, Louder than Life, and more.

Finishing off our night together was the highly anticipated Catch Your Breath, a metalcore band mixing relatable, deep emotions and high energy in their vocals, backing it up with heavy riffs and electronic soundscaping. It didn’t take long before the first crowd surfers of the night began, and they continued to pop up throughout the set as the band encouraged everyone to get their feet off the ground. “Good in Goodbye,” came with a brief pause in the energy, as vocalist Josh Mowery explained to the room that the song was in honor of bassist Teddy Herrera’s late grandma – the whole reason the band existed as she opened her doors to them. As the deep emotions passed through the room as the song ended, the energy was back in action. Top hits “Shame on Me” and “Dial Tone” were also on the setlist, and were some of the loudest songs of the night thanks to everyone excitedly singing along.

Though the U.S. leg of this tour is ending soon, European fans are in luck if they were hoping to catch a chance to see them soon. Their Savages Tour with Until I Wake and Of Virtue kicks off next month, spanning the entire month of April and traveling through the U.K. and Europe. You’ll also have a chance to catch them at Inkcarceration and Louder than Life festival later this year, giving you plenty of time to go ahead and check out their music.