idobi Radio is known for their online radio platform, which showcases alternative, rock & metal music, usually showcasing rising bands. Some people have claimed to discovered their "new favorite band" via the station, which is on brand and extremely cool in my opinion. Commercial radio (in general) these days has gone to shit, and rising bands who aren't on a huge label still have to give their firstborn just to get some radio play, if they even get it. idobi Radio is a refreshing alternative, showcasing songs from unknown independent bands from wherever to stadium level touring bands & everything in between. This year they formed a 6 band bill with some of the best rising alternative pop-punk & rock bands and set to tour the US, including the likes of bands/acts: The Home Team, Stand Atlantic, Honey Revenge, Magnolia Park, Scene Queen & Letdown.
(Due to unexpected lighting & timing difficulties, the sets for Letdown & Magnolia Park were unable to be captured. They both had really cool sets, though I wish I could visibly see Letdown)
Honey Revenge
Based out of L.A, Honey Revenge is a pop-rock band consisting of 2 main members(Devin Papadol & Donovan Lloyd) who have been quickly gaining traction within the scene. Opening on tour for larger acts such as Meet Me @ The Altar, Loveless, State Champs, The Home Team, & Rain City Drive; this band has a really good live show. The duo, joined by a touring bassist and drummer have seemingly captivated audiences at these tours, along with social media success, they have catapulted to over half a million monthly listeners on Spotify within a matter of a few years. The energy from Papadol in the live show is a testament to the type of music they make, as well as is completely on brand for this band. Every time i've seen them live (from 150 cap dive bars to 5000+ cap venues and festivals) their performance is on 10 no matter how many people are in the crowd, or where they are at. Love to see it, wish them nothing but success.
Scene Queen
"Scene Queen" is the musical brainchild of 27 year old Ohio native Hannah Collins. Very pink, very sparkly. Gaining fame with studio projects (which names also serve as a self-coined genre entitled "Bimbocore") "Bimbocore Vol II" & singles such as "18+" and "Pink Rover" have gained a lot of popularity on Tiktok, spilling over to other socials & streaming platforms & eventually leading to the landing on this tour & current success. Very pro-feminist vibes in the music and aesthetic. Her fans are superfans, merch from head to toe. Not afraid to be vulgar or offensive with her controversial lyrics I find myself wanting to support her, but ultimately unable to, due to contradictory statements & sentiments made on stage. Instead of encouraging people to buy her merch because they...support her music, she encouraged them to buy her merch so that her boyfriend working her merch stand could afford to buy her a wedding ring. She also mentioned that he fronts an awesome band in the same breath as expressing the sentiment that there needs to be less dudes starting bands (& then played a song about it). Along with the fact that everybody playing an instrument on stage during her set seemed very male, it just sat extremely weird. I tried to make it all make sense but couldn't and shrugged it off. I love the consistency within her branding.
Stand Atlantic
Ive suprisingly seen this band (From Australlia) 6 times live now, all within the last few years and all within the southeast US. Going at it for 12 years now, i'd say their recent success is more than very much deserved. Going international isn't easy for any band, but with this band, how much they've toured in foreign countries and continents is really impressive. Their high energy live shows probably play a role in securing those international fans, giving them the bandwidth to be able to tour globally for multiple years all while retaining a consistent studio album cycle. Not only have they been consistent with their music releases and touring, but the music is getting better and better with each release, showcasing versatility within their soundscape and abilities as a band; but also a testament to how hard they are willing to work and how far they are willing to go with the band. With support & headlining tours with Waterparks, With Confidence(RIP), Polaris, Taking Back Sunday & more, this band has definitely seen & experienced the "ins and outs" of the music scene which is clear in their lyrical content. The evolution within their soundscape is also immaculate. Usually when"traditional pop-punk" bands try to branch out sonically, they either fall into cliché pits of 2000s grunge, nu-hipster softcore or dad-radio-rock. Stand Atlantic, however, has been able to organically incorporate metalcore, hip-hop, & electronic elements into their more recent music with much success, and seemingly no obstacles in their path to stardom. Always rooting for this band, hope to see them again soon, 9.5/10 set.
The Home Team
(Disclaimer: I have worked with this band musically so the review will reflect my implicit bias, thxxxxx)
The Home Team is a really good band from Seattle, Washington. They have been on the general scene map since the release of their debut album 'Better Off' in 2018. With standout Alternative Pop-punk anthemic singles such as "Fashion Forward," "She's Quiet," "Fade Out" & more, this record and band quickly garnered attention, and started touring with bands such as fellow Washingtonians(?) in Glacier Veins, as well as bands like The Second After, Senses Fail, Broadside, The Used & Real Friends. They've always put on a super awesome live set, as each member is extremely proficient at their respective instruments and are good performers. Whats really impressive is the evolution within their musical releases. Listening to "Burning Gold" next to their brand new album "The Crucible of Life" is audibly night and day(even though both hold their own, in their respective sonic bags) comparatively. The've polished themselves without removing the raw talent and energy, which is super refreshing to see in music today. When bands release albums and the crowd is singing the words to the brand new songs already, you know its a sign of whats to come. With nearly 750k Monthly listeners on Spotify...on TOP of the tour...on TOP of the new album...their projections are skyrocketing and I love to see it. If you somehow haven't heard of this band, go, run to wherever you stream music and beg forgiveness to the scene gods for your transgressions of sleeping on this big time heater of a band.
The tour date in general was really fun, and all of the performances were rated from pretty good to amazing. Go see for yourself at the remaining tour dates, which can be found at the idobi Radio site here.
All words & photos @SAUCEWITHSPOONS
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