The Story So Far – Myth – Maplewood MN – September 9th 2025

The Story So Far live at The Myth in Maplewood Minnesota on September 9th 2025

Review and photos by Max Trelstad

On September 9th, The Story So Far played their first Minnesota headlining show in 7 years for a packed house at Myth Live, with support from Neck Deep, Origami Angel, and Pain of Truth.

I’m a sucker for a mixed bill show, and when I saw that TSSF had booked a tour with a ‘tough guy hardcore’ band, an emo two-piece, and a British pop punk group, I was sold. I think it can be such a great experience for long-time fans of a band to be exposed to new subgenres of music that the headliner has hand-picked, even if they come from the complete opposite side of the musical spectrum (like the first band of the night, Pain of Truth). 

Rarely do you get to see an opener with ten times the energy of the headliner, and Pain of Truth, a self-proclaimed “real deal Northeast hardcore” band (a lyric from “Too Late” off their debut LP), embodied the mentality of starting the night off with a bang. Vocalist Michael Smith paced furiously across the stage, shouting his lyrics over the pummeling breakdowns and sharp riffs from the rest of the group. For a mostly punk/pop crowd, I was super happy seeing people two-stepping and hardcore moshing, enjoying the complete experience of a hardcore show, even though they were only the first taste of music for the night

Next up came Origami Angel, a duo with the sound of a four-piece at the very least. The combination of punchy pop harmonics from Ryland Heagys’ magic fingers and Pat Doherty’s lightning-fast drumming filled the stage completely. Watching Heagy’s hands effortlessly tap across the frets while simultaneously nailing high octave vocals was impressive to say the least, and on top of that, the amount of pedals at his feet was ridiculous, with over a dozen different types for him to work with. 

After Origami Angel finished up their short set, the way the building was buzzing, it felt like the crowd was ready to give all their energy to what felt like the co-headlining set of the night, and one of my favorite pop punk groups, Wales’ own Neck Deep. As soon as the lights came up and the band began their intro, the security staff all moved into place, as crowd surfers were already being hoisted up towards the middle of the pit, shouting the lyrics to the opening track “dumbstruck dumbfuck”, the title track from their most recent self-titled album. When I was in middle school, the first show my parents let me go to with friends was Neck Deep in the mainroom at First Avenue, and while I was up close and shooting their set, all those memories came flooding back. One of their first three songs of the night happened to be “Motion Sickness”, which also happens to be my favorite song out of their discography, so suffice it to say I was singing every line right back at Ben Barlow as he bounced across the stage, his mic cord whipping wildly in his wake. 

Last and certainly not least, the 6 members of TSSF filed on stage as the lights dimmed, and then roared to life, accompanied by a blast of light, making every member glow as they began their headline set. I loved how full their performance felt, with 3 guitarists on stage, it felt like listening to a studio recording in real time, especially with how tight they all played. It felt like such a stark difference seeing Parker so stationary, as I’ve seen his other hardcore adjacent band, No Pressure, a handful of times in the last few years, and his stage presence is the stark opposite, encouraging mic grabs and as many stagedives as possible. I didn’t mind the reserved energy he enjoys performing with TSSF, and it seemed like he was enjoying every second as he applauded the crowd for their energy after every song, and pointed at each crowd surfer who flowed over the barricade, making that quick connection with each fan as they repeated his lyrics in unison.