An evening with BTBAM at 24oxford

October 9, 2025 – Yet again, I was summoned to the neat little venue inside Virgin Hotel, (I sometimes have to correct my brain before I refer to this place as Hard Rock…) 24oxford for the prog-gods, Between the Buried and Me. These casual favorites of mine brought along the post hardcore goodness that is Delta Sleep, and Hail the Sun. 

A little note, I was unaware that Virgin was undergoing renovations. So that was surprising to walk into, since I haven’t been on the property in a while. I followed the signs that led to the venues, two concerts going on this night, which isn’t something I see very often in this place. There were all sorts of people making their way to the lines for their preferred show. My path took me in a little bit of a snake formation around the casino floor, but it didn’t take long for me to arrive inside the doors of a packed 24oxford. 

And yes, it was pretty packed. It was refreshing to see so many young faces in that room, a positive sign for me. I grew up in this city and there were only a few places that put on shows like this where kids could come together. Kids who otherwise wouldn’t have many other places to just, BE. A lot of my regular coverage I do revolves around bands that have a different audience, mainly my age or older. So I welcomed this energy from the generation/s that came after me. Though, Between the Buried and Me fans generally are in my age group, so this observation of the youth in the crowd could have very well been drawn out because of the openers. 

First band to take the stage, Delta Sleep. I found myself a little in my feelings watching this band perform. They have a sound that I would describe as a moodier version of Bayside, and they’re definitely a band I would have grasped onto when I was younger. Catchy enough to dance around a bit to, but moody enough to satisfy your inner (or not so inner) emo kid! This was the first time I’ve seen them, and I wouldn’t mind catching them again in the future!

It’s been a number of years since I last saw Hail the Sun. They’re one of those bands that kind of got lost in the cycle for me as a post hardcore fan years ago, and I’m a little disappointed at that. These guys embody so many elements that I absolutely adore about post hardcore. The deeper lyrics, contrasting vocals, and those little hints of heavier riffs all blended together. It really does something for me. Most notable moments as I watched them perform were their calling out the Catholic Church, big business, and the fact that there’s a whole slew of people out there that are benefitting from pain and division they’re inflicting on the public. Unity seemed to be the main message, and while I can admit to feeling helpless in this world at times, I think I needed to hear all that was said on that stage. Hail the Sun performed a number of songs scattered through their discography. My favorites among them were “Human Target Practice” , “Tithe”, and “War Crimes.” (Go look up the lyrics for those songs if you ever want to say there isn’t anything deep in this genre of music.) Needless to say I played some catch up of their discography on my way home. Hail the Sun has a new album coming out in a couple weeks, (October 24) so if this is your jam, go grab your copy of it!

After Hail the Sun finished, the venue seemed a little lighter as far as bodies are concerned. And, that’s okay. I’ve always seen Between the Buried and Me as a bit of a refined taste. Meaning, the average person may not be immediately drawn to them. Listed as prog-metal, (or prog-metalcore depending on who you talk to) I can understand why some of the complexity of this genre as a whole can be generally missed as far as mainstream appeal goes. Some of this can be attributed to certain types of mathcore elements that they include. But that doesn’t turn me off in the slightest. I’ve always found this band so interesting and fun to listen to. 

I was first introduced to Between the Buried and Me likely via Alternative Press magazine back when I was in high school in the early 2000’s. My brain generally immediately thinks of those albums from 2003-2007 (The Silent Circus ‘03, Alaska ‘05, and Colors ‘07) and I’ll never forget the first time I heard the ending solo to the song “Mordecai.” The musicianship of these guys is one of remarkability, and they truly take you on a ride through each and every song. This feeling is not lacking in the slightest when it comes to their live performances, either. The only thing that I would maybe think to tell people about this band, is while their sound is so interesting, their songs are LONG. Like, I haven’t seen or heard anything of theirs that is less than 6 minutes long. Hence the use of the word ride in my earlier description. 

The stage was filled with hazy smoke, and interesting backlights, (which makes it hard to photograph, but that’s okay. It’s a whole vibe.) There’s five guys on this smaller-ish stage, and I stood in awe in the photo pit when touring member Tristan Auman came to the front during the second and third songs. (And through the rest of the set, honestly.) The dynamic when those guitars were highlighted really stood out for me. Sometimes you’ve just gotta stop what you’re doing and watch. Which is exactly what I ended up doing at that moment. 

Seeing as this tour is directly in support of the record Between the Buried and Me released this year, “The Blue Nowhere”, most of the setlist included songs from this record, with other tracks scattered from previous records going back to about 2009. With the exception of their final song, “Informal Gluttony” off of 2007’s Colors. Don’t let the lack of older material sway you towards not coming out for this run, the new record is a fun evolved version of the music that came prior, and it’s definitely an enjoyable experience to watch these guys lay out all the goods the way they do. 

Between the Buried and Me have a ton of tour dates in the US and Canada before they make their way across the pond next year, so make sure you go enjoy the ride while you still can on this run!

• October 12 Portland, OR Revolution Hall
• October 13 Seattle, WA The Crocodile
• October 14 Vancouver, BC The Pearl
• October 16 Edmonton, AB Union Hall
• October 17 Calgary, AB MacEwan Hall
• October 19 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory
• October 20 Boise, ID Knitting Factory
• October 21 Bozeman, MT The ELM
• October 22 Missoula, MT The Wilma
• October 24 Denver, CO Summit Music Hall
• October 25 Wichita, KS TempleLive
• October 26 Des Moines, IA Wooly’s
• October 27 Chicago, IL The Vic Theatre
• October 28 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall
• October 29 Nashville, TN Brooklyn Bowl
• October 30 Charlotte, NC The Fillmore

PHOTO CREDIT: Live photos by Courtney Ware for ZRockR Magazine – (c) 2025 – All Rights Reserved.