
There are few greater joys than going into a show unfamiliar with a support band and leaving with a new addition to your regular listening list. Admittedly, I had never heard of Conquer Divide before attending their slot before New Years Day at Thekla, however, it quickly turned into one of those discoveries, and an important reminder to continue to show up for support acts.
Their set was charged with fierce female energy, radiating confidence and pure enjoyment in their performance from the very first note to an impressively full room. With soaring vocals, crushing riffs, and an undeniable stage presence, Conquer Divide commanded the crowd’s attention for the entirety of their set, proving themselves as a fresh and exciting force to be reckoned with in the scene.
Joined by Spencer from A War Within on tour as their unclean vocalist and bassist, Conquer Divide successfully delivered a dynamic and exciting performance, seamlessly blending intense screams with pitch-perfect melodies from vocalist Kiarely Taylor and hard-hitting instrumentals. Their set was mainly comprised of a showcase of tracks from their 2023 album ‘Slow Burn’, kicking off with ‘Atonement’ which has amassed over 9 million listens on Spotify. Despite this, they did include an earlier track ‘Chemicals’ and their 2025 collaboration with Of Virtue, titled ‘Bad Dreams’ which meant the crowd were treated to a taster of both their past and present musical journey.
Conquer Divide’s set firmly established them in my mind—and likely in the minds of the packed crowd at Thekla that night—as potential frontrunners in the scene. Their razor-sharp musicianship and polished, powerful sound helped them prove they were more than capable of holding the attention of a room from start to finish.
Words: Phoebe Messenger Images: James Crisp