Capstan live at Dante’s, April 5th, 2025
Photos and review by Jax Lamont
I first saw Capstan open for Holding Absence on their first North American tour in 2024. Though I had listened to a handful of their songs prior to that show, their performance that night solidified me as a fan. When I saw Capstan was returning to Portland on a headlining tour, I knew this was one I wouldn’t want to miss. And in fact, Capstan exceeded my expectations as a headliner.
Their performance at Dante’s on April 5th, 2025 excelled in all aspects — the performance, their energy, aesthetic, and the crowd. Dante’s always brings the best crowds, in my opinion, and this night was no exception. While chatting with vocalist Anthony DeMario after the show, he even mentioned to me how great the crowd was. The crowd kept their energy up the entire night and it was clear many there were also fans of the support acts: Not Enough Space, a metalcore outfit from the same hometown as Capstan, Orlando, Florida, alternative rock band True North from Los Angeles, and Austin, Texas-based dreamcore band Colorblind.
Not Enough Space opened the evening and impressed from the first note. I was surprised when vocalists Lizzie Raatma and Liv Mitchell took to the stage — it’s not often you see two female powerhouse vocalists in the metal scene, much less in one band. Not Enough Space got the mosh pit going and fans at the front of the stage screamed lyrics when Raatma or Mitchell pointed the mic to them. I thought they sounded familiar, but couldn’t quite place why. However, I later found out whilst chatting with Raatma at the merch table after the show — they had played Portland before, opening for Attila and Born Of Osiris. I was at that show, but missed all but the tail end of their set since the show had started early — all the more reason to commit to arriving at shows early.
Falling Not Enough Space, True North brought their alternative rock to the stage. Vocalist Tim Beken engaged with the crowd and flipped his shoulder length hair back and forth as he headbanged. I enjoyed watching drummer Michael Cisterna, who made great facial expressions as he smashed the drums.
The next band, Colorblind, was one I was somewhat familiar with and excited to see live. I had added a few of their singles to some of my playlists on Spotify a few years back, but hadn’t listened to them for quite awhile — likely because lately I’ve been jamming the bands I’ve seen live and Colorblind hadn’t come to Portland yet. This night opening for Capstan at Dante’s was their first time in Portland. Their performance did not disappoint and I was very happy that the band later said they hope to return to Portland again. Vocalist Travis Moseley’s theatrics reminded me of Geoff Rickly of Thursday, with his microphone tricks and crouching down low on the stage.
Finally, Capstan entered the stage to much fanfare. Dressed in long red velvet cloaks, they gathered in a half circle holding yellow candles, apropos of their tour name “The Cult Tour”. As the crowd cheered, they stripped their cloaks off, revealing coordinating white outfits, raised their fists and went straight into their opening song, “Misery Scene” from their newest album The Mosaic. One of the things I love most is when bands put thought into their performance and have obviously coordinated well beforehand and I could tell Capstan had done this — from the coordinating outfits, to the backlit logo artwork adorning the stage and the timed jumps, they truly gave a complete performance. Their set list included songs from all of their albums, including fan favorite “Can’t.Lie.Around.Remembering.Everything” from their debut album Seasonal Depression.
They ended their 15 song setlist with hits “Wax Poetic” from their 2016 EP Cultural Divide and “Stars Before The Sun” from their 2019 album Restless Heart, Keep Running. I do think, however, Capstan really missed an opportunity not including their song referencing Portland while playing in Portland: “The Wreath and the Follower” from their 2018 EP In The Wake Of Our Discord. Considering how vocal the crowd in Portland was, it would have been great hearing them all scream the lyrics “left yourself in Portland”.
