I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: April 3, 2025] House of Protection

A few years ago Poppy was supposed to open for Deftones.  The show was postponed and on the new dates, Poppy was no longer available.  I wound up not going to the show anyhow.  She has played Philly once before as a headliner in 2022, but I had plans that night.  So I decided, why not check her out this time around, now that she has fully embraced her heavy metal persona.

I didn’t know who would be opening and when she announced it would be House of Protection, I assumed they would be a metal band that was super heavy.

I wasn’t expecting a duo.  Aric Improta ran out and sat at the drumset which was sideways and sitting at the front of the stage.  Seconds later Stephen Harrison also ran out.  He sang and played guitar.  But mostly he incited the crowd.

Improta sang the first song while drumming in a very elaborate (and yes, I’ll say it, a very California) style with lots of arms flailing around.  He was exceptionally theatrical, standing on his drum stool and waving a cymbal around, and really trying to get the crowd into it.

Harrison was equally as theatrical.  He literally ran all over the stage (his guitar was remote, so no cables held him in place).  He spun around, he punched the air, he swung his guitar around his neck.  He was exhausting to watch.

He also commanded the crowd in a way that an opening band very rarely does.  But it turns out that both guys were in Fever 333 (who I don’t know, but who sound pretty cool) and are veterans of the stage.

After the first song, Harrison told everyone to make a circle pit.  When none formed, he grabbed his guitar and mic and moved out into the crowd and insisted that a circle pit circle around him.  This would have been very cool to see, but I couldn’t.

Most of their music was prerecorded.  I’m not sure how the sounds were triggered.  I always assume it’s from the drummer, but his style of playing was so wild, I don’t know how he would have triggered the beats. Maybe he just has a simple pad that starts the song and then he plays along.  At one point, Harrison called him the greatest drummer in the world and he did a little drum solo.  Harrison did play guitar and it was often audible, but there was so much else going on–electronic samples and beats and what not, that when he didn’t play, he wasn’t missed.  But I did enjoy hearing his chords when he played.

Harrison went back into the crowd for Better Off but asked for no pit this time–it’s a slower song.  But when he got back on stage for Fire, their new single, he wanted everyone to try to reach the ceiling as they jumped.

At the end of the song, Harrison climbed onto the amps and then pointed at Improta who ran to the amps jumped up and did a back flip off of them.

Harrison had some tech issues during the final song.  Whether it was for that reason or just because he does this, at the end of the final song he took his guitar and hurled it to the back of the stage.  I’m not sure what it landed on or if it survived, but it was one more dramatic moment in a wild opening band.

Bands have to do a lot to get people’s attention and House of Protection pulled out all of the stops.  They were certainly the most memorable opening act I’ve seen.

♣ GALORE EP (2024)
⇔ Outrun You All (2025)