Whether you’re processing a breakup, rediscovering yourself, or just hunting for your next musical obsession, Chicago’s Belmont are here for you with their tenth anniversary tour for Between You & Me, a rolling celebration of the breakthrough EP that defined the band’s soul-baring identity and colliding mix of emo, pop-punk and hardcore.
Formed in 2014, Belmont have spent the last decade building a sound rooted in melodic hooks, driving rhythms and emotionally focused songwriting. With the masterful Between You & Me, an accounting of relationships and their aftermath, the band wheels through heartbreak, grief, healing, mental health, self-discovery, and moving forward, all in the space of five essential tracks. On “Overstepping,” lyrics such as “Hundreds of things, I’ve never said” and “Take off your shoes while you roam in my head” capture unresolved feelings, while “Solitude” addresses isolation: “While you’re stuck inside your head, I’ve been stuck inside my bed.”
On “731,” the struggle is for self-acceptance: “I’ve been trying my best to feel safe in my skin.” Belmont’s lyrics often sit within the uncertainty of romance, love, and loss, allowing personal reflections to become collective experiences. That achievement has helped to give Between You & Me lasting resonance a decade after its release and kept Belmont’s audience engaged.
Footage online from this tour shows what awaits at Banyan Live: mosh pits beneath the stage, fans bouncing shoulder-to-shoulder, heads moving in unison, and entire rooms belting out lyrics about loss, recovery, identity, and growth. It is the kind of show where emotional vulnerability and physical energy coexist, creating a communal and cathartic space.
Longstanding members Taz Johnson, Jason Inguagiato and Brian Lada are joined on the road by Joseph Mabry of Capstan to round out the ensemble. They perform in the embrace of a highly coordinated lighting production that shifts with the music, bathing the stage in dramatic hues and movement that mirrors the emotional peaks and valleys of the set. The result is an immersive live experience for longtime fans, newcomers and cellphone streamers documenting the connection between band, audience and moment.
Belmont play an 18 and over show 6pm Sunday, July 26 at Banyan Live in West Palm Beach. belmontil.com ~ Amanda Moore
