Poppy Dropped Screams and Kept It All the Way Metalcore at Dallas Show

In the dimly lit venue full of enthusiastic fans, the stage was completely dark and empty. A robotic doll voice asked, “Who are you?” and then sweetly answered, “An experiment having an experience.”

The words “experiment” and “experience” share the same Latin root, experior, which means “to attempt, test, or prove”. All three bands on the bill — MSPAINT, Dying Wish and Poppy — tested the limits and pushed the category of metal music into new territory at the memorable House of Blues Dallas show on Oct. 6.

MSPAINT, a quartet of synthesizers, drums, bass guitar and vocals, immediately defied categorization and started the night off with loud, industrial-adjacent, hip-hoppy, screamy songs that were strangely catchy. Their style of metalcore felt innovative and had the audience moving.

Next up was Dying Wish, preceded by rumbles of recorded thunder. Exploding onto the stage, this fierce five-piece sounded as though a valkyrie wearing black cowgirl boots was pounding through a battlefield on a horse, coming to claim the headbangers in the crowd to join the band’s struggle for social justice. Known for lyrics focused on social issues, Dying Wish encouraged the high-energy involvement of the audience, calling for circle pits to be formed. This sense of metalcore community was a memorable moment of the evening and the band concluded their set with a sincere “Take care of each other” as they departed.

Finally, the ever-evolving headliner, Poppy, took the stage. Wearing a white blouse and a sparkling chain belt, with masked band members behind her, Poppy’s charisma transfixed everyone as she sang the first track of the 2024 album Negative Spaces, “have you had enough?” This was followed by the challenging “BLOODMONEY” and then the hit “V.A.N.” Poppy climbed up on a platform running along the front of the stage to belt out “the cost of giving up” and then engaged the audience with clapping during “Anything Like Me”.

Returning to her glittering mic stand for “crystallized,” we were impressed with the polished and heavy-hitting performance as it unfolded. To the audience’s delight, Poppy next crushed “from me to u,” the collaboration with BABYMETAL that reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot Hard Rock Songs chart. Followed by “the center’s falling out,” “Scary Mask” and the unreleased “Bruised Sky”, the crowd was entertained by Poppy’s childlike skipping and long black hair whipping around as she danced.

“I Disagree”, “Bite Your Teeth”, the gleeful but grim “Concrete” and “surviving on defiance” completed the powerful set. It was at this point that the thought-provoking robotic doll soliloquy began, inviting the crowd to consider the evening’s events and some existential questions (“Who are you?”). Poppy’s signature robotic voice, extra creepy given the monumental rise of Artificial Intelligence since her career began, added depth to the performance that reflected her artistic growth.

The enthralled audience cheered for an encore, which they received. Poppy returned to the stage with “they’re all around us” and artfully screamed “new way out” as jets of confetti shot into the air and the show came to an exhilarating end.

As the concertgoers streamed out into the night illuminated by a full moon, we considered how impactful the shared experience had been. Heavy metal brings diverse people together for moments of connection, although everyone’s daily challenges are unique. Perhaps a more optimistic take on Poppy’s lyric “They’re all around us, keep your eyes open” might be to recognize that friendly metalheads are everywhere and to seek common ground on a shared love of music, even if people have learned to be guarded with their trust.