Where do I even begin with what I experienced on the 9th of April at South Side Music Hall in Dallas, TX? Paleface Swiss started the year off by dropping, arguably, the album-of-the-year, just as 2025 started. The band kicked off an insane tour across Europe and the UK alongside The Acacia Strain and Desolated. After that tour, which was almost completely sold out, finished, Paleface Swiss recruited Nasty and Stick To Your Guns to embark on the North America leg of the tour. Another tour that I should mention was nearly sold out at every stop along the way, which should come as no surprise as the band is now approaching a million monthly listeners on Spotify. I've finally recovered enough from the pure chaos and insanity of the Dallas stop of the tour to share with you what I experienced. Buckle up because it is going to be nothing short of jaw-dropping.
Nasty started the night off with a huge bang. With about two decades of experience, it is not surprise the band was able to work the crowd as they did during the Dallas stop. With gut-punching lyrics, bone-shaking bass lines and blast beats, and some of the tastiest riffs to ever grace the sound space, every fan in attendance was going as hard as they could for Nasty. Crowd surfers, mosh pits, and fans constantly trying to match the band's chaotic energy was all I could see in the ocean of people in attendance. With such ferocity and anger in their musical content, one would assume that the band is just full of the nastiest and angriest people ever. This is simply not the case, as the band repeatedly thanked the crowd and other bands on the bill and spoke from a place of acceptance, unity, and love.
Up next was the hardcore legends themselves: Stick To Your Guns. God, I've been listening to this band since my friend put The Hope Division on my iPod back in 2010. Ever since then, I've been hooked, and each release from the band has gotten progressively angrier, more impactful, and improved in showcasing the musical talent of the band. Their most recent album, Keep Planting Flowers, is exactly what the world needs in the current client of politics. Getting to hear those songs live and seeing the band perform live for the first time was nothing short of incredible.
Another band with over two decades of experience, STYG brought that hardcore energy as the sea of two-steppers, mosh pitters, and crowd surfers made the security earn their paycheck that day. As the band continued to decimate the crowd with songs like "Amber," "Keep Planting Flowers," and "Against Them All," and allow them to get rid of all the pent-up rage and aggression, all you could think to yourself was, "This is exactly what it is all about." Man, I need STYG to get back to Dallas as soon as possible.
Before I go into Paleface Swiss, let me just begin to describe the level of insanity that occurred. I mean, how many bands do you know that start their set off with a "no rules" wrestling match? I saw the two athletes take to the stage and thought about this will be a cool thing to watch. Kind of like WWE. Well, once I saw skewers being used as a weapon, a bat with thumbtacks being swung, and the wrestlers running around the venue using anything they could find to beat the crap out of each other, I started to realize just how crazy this night was going to be.
As the wrestling match concluded and the blood and thumbtacks were cleaned from the stage, Paleface Swiss took the stage to a deafening roar of applause. Seeing the band perform at this very venue but in the smaller room to a much smaller crowd and to then being moved to the bigger stage with hundreds of fans in attendance brought such a smile to my face. I won't lie and say I've been a "Day 1" fan of the band, but I am definitely a big fan of their work. You have to love seeing hardworking and good-natured people win. Right? I was obviously not the only one who thought that because all you could see after every song finished was just a sea of people cheering until their voices gave out and clapping until their hands went numb. If you thought the crowd went hard for Nasty and Stick To Your Guns, it is nothing in comparison to how hard fans were going for Paleface Swiss.
As much as fans love Paleface Swiss, Paleface Swiss also made it a point to share that love with their fans and the members of the tour package. Vocalist Marc "Zelli" Zellweger took some time during the set to thank both Nasty and Stick To Your Guns for the impact they have had on the music world and the impact they had on the members of Paleface Swiss. Also, how many bands do you know that will take the time to thank everyone from the photographer to the stage manager to the merch sellers and everyone in between? Truly a band that loves and appreciates everyone that makes this life possible for the band.
