Deep Ellum came alive Thursday night when a small venue called Trees lit up with music. Five bands played from 7 p.m. until 11 p.m. The list included: A Change of Pace, Halifax, Spitalfield, The Academy Is and Hidden in Plain View. The concert began with approximately 20 high school wannabe-punkers cheering on A Change of Pace at the front of the stage while sporting fo-hawks, plain white T-shirts and hairstyles that resembled a peacock trying to attract a mate. It is always difficult being an opening act, because the crowd hasn’t been warmed up yet. As the band’s name states, it was there to change the pace of the audience into a revved-up punk-rocking machine. Each band played a 30-minute set and tried their best to give the crowd its money’s worth.

Drive-thru Records has been promoting this tour and, to be honest, could have done a better job. This is Hidden In Plain View’s first big headlining tour, and even with a lineup of five great bands only 150 people came to the show. I have been to shows at Trees where it was a complete body press with well over 300 people in attendance. Unfortunately, this wasn’t one of those shows.

Nonetheless, the evening was a huge success. Halifax and Spitalfield played well with head-nodding beats and catchy lyrics. The Academy Is got the crowd really involved with the show. Their first song opened with the words, “Attention! Attention!! May I have all your eyes and ears?”, which is exactly what this band received. The Academy Is had most of the audience jumping, dancing and crowd-surfing the set away. Each song transitioned smoothly into the next and left the crowd wanting more. When the band played “Slow Down,” the crowd went nuts. This song demonstrated the witty and catchy lyrics that make the band so enjoyable to listen to. Lyrics like, “You kiss me like an overdramatic actor/Who’s starving for work/With one last shot to make it happen,” engrave a crystal-clear image into your mind. This is a band everyone should keep their eye on and expect great things from in the future. It has the potential to become associated with the likes of Fall Out Boy and Taking Back Sunday. Sadly, about 20 people left after the set was finished. It was their loss, because the next band, Hidden In Plain View, was simply stunning.

I have seen Hidden in Plain View twice before and was satisfied, but this evening was different. The band was playing at the top of its game. With the release of its first full-length album from Drive-thru Records, “Life In Dreaming,” Hidden In Plain View took its music to a completely different level. Before band members came on stage, you could taste the froth of anticipation coming from the crowd. With its astonishing drum beats and catchy well-put lyrics, Hidden In Plain View is an incredible band. If you enjoy Taking Back Sunday and Armor for Sleep, you’ll love Hidden In Plain View. The songs in its set could not have been played better. It was evident that the crowd was amped to hear the band from the singing, screaming, howling, moshing, dancing and head-banging. Each song was played with more passion than the last and ended left the crowd wanting more.

Overall, the show was one for the books. It’s just too bad that more people couldn’t have been there to enjoy it.