Based in Columbus, Ohio, Joseph Benitez of Neon Demon Photography has been capturing the essence of live music as a professional photographer since 2017. When he is not chasing the perfect shot, he is traveling the world, camera in hand, or spending time with his four amazing kids. See his work here.
Returning to the Thunderdome
It’s another night of sweat, noise, and camaraderie at KEMBA Live! in Columbus, Ohio—a gathering place for the lost and the damned, the misfits and the devotees. Tonight, I’m here for Alkaline Trio, a band that’s managed to balance darkness and melody like a high-wire act for over two decades. But there’s a bonus: I get to photograph my friends in Spanish Love Songs for the third time. A show that never disappoints. The venue is packed thick with a polite, eager crowd, the sort of respectful audience that leaves you room to breathe, but makes damn sure you know they’re excited.
As I wade through the sea of black band tees and tattooed arms, I run into a face from the past—a friend from my high school days, here as a wedding gift from her brand-new husband. It’s a small world, and she’s buzzing with excitement, grinning ear to ear as she waits for her all-time favorite band to take the stage. Her energy is infectious. I’ve never seen Alkaline Trio live, but I’ve never heard a bad word about their shows. Tonight, I’m about to find out what all the fuss is about.
Slomosa – Norwegians Conquer the Crowd
First up is Slomosa, a heavy-hitting crew from Norway that seems to have been carved out of the same jagged Scandinavian rock that birthed black metal. But make no mistake—Slomosa isn’t interested in corpse paint or growling incantations. They’re here to rock, pure and simple. No buildup, no slow burn. They take the stage like they own it, and by the end of their first track, they do own it.
These guys didn’t just play to an unfamiliar crowd in a foreign land—they conquered it. Their sound was thick and rumbling, like a wave of granite rolling through the room. They powered through a setlist of songs that felt familiar even to ears that had never heard them before, an uncanny blend of stoner rock groove and a punk’s sense of urgency. And then, as if that wasn’t enough, they strolled off the stage and straight to their merch table. No rockstar pretense here—just musicians shaking hands, taking pictures, and making a lasting impression. What a crew.
SLOMOSA | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | FACEBOOK
Spanish Love Songs: A Collective Sadness, Screamed Aloud
Next up, it’s Spanish Love Songs, a band that I’ve raved about more times than I can count. This is my fifth time seeing them, my third time photographing them, and let me be absolutely clear, they never miss. Their songs are a mix of rage, heartache, and a deep, unspoken understanding of life’s disappointments. Tonight, those songs felt as fresh and raw as they did the first time I heard them.
Frontman Dylan Slocum roared through each song with a desperation that was almost tangible. There’s something about the way he screams out lines like, “We’re not dead yet, so let’s live like we are,” that feels both triumphant and tragic. The crowd was right there with him, every word hurled back at the stage with the fervor of a cult singing its hymns. This was Spanish Love Songs at their absolute best—tight, confident, and riding the wave of a crowd that understood them all too well.
It’s a beautiful thing, really, watching a room full of people come together to be sad. It’s like group therapy with a kickass soundtrack. I looked around at the sea of faces—young, old, punks, and normies alike—united by a shared sense of dissatisfaction and the cathartic release of yelling it out together. That’s the magic of Spanish Love Songs. This was the best showing I’ve seen from them yet, and if you asked me, I’d tell you that they’re only getting better.
SPANISH LOVE SONGS | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | FACEBOOK
Alkaline Trio: A Masterclass in Melancholy and Fury
The stage went dark as the headliners took their positions. The familiar murmur of anticipation built to a hum, and then, like a hammer to the skull, Alkaline Trio burst onto the stage. Shrouded in black suits that made them look like morticians moonlighting as rock stars, they faded into the darkness until a sudden flash of light cut through, revealing the trio poised to tear Columbus apart.
From the moment they started, it was clear why these guys are legends. This wasn’t just a band playing songs—this was a performance. The setlist was a tour through their discography, from early venomous tracks like “Cringe” and “Radio” to newer anthems that carried the same melodic menace. Each song hit like a sucker punch, harsh and furious, but somehow beautiful in its own way. The lights pulsed behind them, making the stage feel fully lit one second and swallowed in shadows the next.
Frontman Matt Skiba was a master of ceremonies, his voice sharp and snarling, cutting through the chaos like a straight razor. Bassist Dan Andriano stood by his side, holding down the low end with a practiced intensity, while Atom Willard pounded out rhythms that made every song feel like it was on the verge of exploding. And the crowd? The crowd clung to every word as if their very lives depended on it. I’ve been to a lot of shows, but rarely have I seen a crowd so utterly consumed by a performance. This was a generation worshipping its musical monolith.
The set was perfectly crafted—a case study in how to build a show that takes fans on a ride. They mixed in deep cuts with singalong favorites, keeping the energy building, never letting it flag for a moment. It’s one thing to play a good set; it’s another to create an experience. Alkaline Trio did just that. By the time they closed out, I was ready to run it all back again.
ALKALINE TRIO | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | X | FACEBOOK
Reflections
Tonight was a reminder of why I do this—why I drag my camera through packed venues, elbow through sweaty crowds, and strain my ears against the walls of sound night after night. Alkaline Trio, Spanish Love Songs, Slomosa—they each brought something unique to the stage, something raw and real and unforgettable.
There’s an art to live music that you can’t capture on a record. It’s in the way the crowd surges forward, the way the air crackles with shared energy. It’s in the sweat and the screams, the way each song feels like a confession, a battle cry, and a love letter all at once. And tonight, at KEMBA Live!, I saw that art come to life in a way that makes every long drive, every sore shoulder, and every lost hour of sleep worth it. This is why we keep coming back. Because some nights, music isn’t just heard—it’s felt. And nights like this? They’re why I’m never giving it up.
ALKALINE TRIO
SPANISH LOVE SONGS
SLOMOSA
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