Spiritbox in Washington DC

About Spiritbox

Spiritbox is the project of Courtney LaPlante, a Canadian metalcore vocalist who emerged in the mid-2010s with a distinctive approach to heavy music. After years of backing vocals and collaborations, LaPlante launched Spiritbox as a full creative statement, releasing the album Eternal Blue in 2021. The album showcased her range—capable of everything from intricate vocal layering and melodic passages to absolutely punishing screams, often within the same song. Tracks like "Holy Shit" and "Circle With Me" became streaming staples, introducing progressive metalcore to listeners who might not typically seek out heavy music. What sets Spiritbox apart is the structural ambition behind the songs; they're not just heavy for heaviness's sake, but built with genuine compositional ideas. LaPlante's technical ability and willingness to write songs that shift between brutality and vulnerability made Spiritbox feel relevant in a way that revitalized interest in metalcore as a whole. The follow-up work has continued this trajectory of experimentation within the heavy music space.

Spiritbox crowds are unusually attentive for metalcore shows—people actually listen between the breakdowns. LaPlante commands the stage with focus rather than theatrics. Pits form but don't dominate; heads stay up to catch the intricate vocal arrangements. The energy feels concentrated, purposeful.

Known for Circle With Me, Holy Shit, Eternal Blue, Hurt You, Constance

Spiritbox + Washington DC

Spiritbox rolled through The Fillmore Silver Spring in late April 2023, hitting a setlist that balanced their heavier moments with the melodic hooks that define their sound. They opened with "Sun Killer" and early on leaned into the chaos with "Yellowjacket" and "The Void," but what stuck was their willingness to sit in the weird spaces—"Secret Garden" and "Rotoscope" gave the room a chance to breathe before they pushed back into "Holy Roller" and the massive closer "Eternal Blue." The DC area hasn't seen them back since, but that April night showed why Spiritbox keeps drawing crowds: they're comfortable being heavy and strange in the same song.

Spiritbox in Washington DC News

• Spiritbox's Tsunami Sea LIVE Bonus Edition Only Available For A Few More Hours The Nu-Metal Agenda · Mar 13, 2025
• Spiritbox Announce North American Tour with Loathe, Dying Wish, and Gel New Noise Magazine · Dec 5, 2024
• SPIRITBOX announce headline tour with LOATHE, DYING WISH and GEL Revolver Magazine · Dec 3, 2024
• Spiritbox announce 2025 ‘Tsunami Sea’ North American Tour Metal Insider · Dec 3, 2024
• Spiritbox Book Headlining 2025 North American Tour With Stacked Lineup Loudwire · Dec 3, 2024

Live Music in Washington DC

DC's metal and heavy music crowd tends toward the thoughtful side, and Spiritbox fits that perfectly. The region's history of progressive metal and mathcore—bands like Dischord Records alumni and the modern metalcore scene—created an audience primed for Courtney LaPlante's angular vocals and the band's refusal to stay in one lane. Silver Spring's venue culture keeps the heavier stuff alive and present in the greater DC area.

Washington DC road trip to see Spiritbox?

Stay in Georgetown or Capitol Hill, both walkable neighborhoods with excellent restaurants and bars. Book a table at Kinfolk in Capitol Hill for refined New American cooking, or head to Pineapple and Pearls for something more elaborate if you want to splurge. During the day, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden offers world-class contemporary art without the crowds of the main Smithsonians. Walk the C&O Canal towpath if the weather cooperates. Hit up one of the city's serious record shops like Smash! Records before the show.