By Brent Michael, Rock At Night Tampa Correspondent
Venue: Jannus Live, St. Petersburg, Florida–July 21st, 2024
Bands: Letdown., Honey Revenge, Scene Queen, Stand Atlantic, The Home Team, Magnolia Park
Bands on Facebook/Social: Letdown., Honey Revenge, Scene Queen, Stand Atlantic, The Home Team, Magnolia Park
Okay, anyone remember the line from Biloxi Blues that goes something like, “It’s hot. Not just regular hot, this is like Africa hot!” Okay, how about Bob Seger/Metallica “And the sweat pours out your body like the music that you play?” Yeah, it was like that. Not that I expected anything different, it’s a sort-of-outdoor venue on Florida’s West Coast, but it wasn’t like a fairground or anything. Jannus is essentially an open concrete rectangle with two and three-story brick or block walls on all four sides, which means it’s closer to being inside a topless tent. They had some fans, but when the crowd is as packed as this one, the air pretty much just sits there. Not that it did anything to dampen the crowd’s enthusiasm, mostly people in their twenties, they were jumping and screaming and waving and even moshing all day long!
But the enthusiasm was well-deserved; this is, after all, the new touring festival, idobi Radio Summer School! Summer School is the brainchild of Eric Tobin (Hopeless Records), Mike Kaminsky (KMGMT) and Kevin Lyman (Warped Tour founder). The three have been watching the trends of the touring industry as they’ve ebbed and flowed throughout these past few years, noting that there hasn’t been a push towards developing and supporting future headliners. Alongside that, prices for tickets have gone through the roof, turning away potential new fans and playing to the current fanbase. Thus, the idea for Summer School was born! This festival is SOLELY working with independent artists, record labels, venues and promoters and using 100% of any sponsorship money to pay bands reasonable rates and keep the ticket price as low as possible. Which meant you could have been there for a mere $40! (At this location, prices may vary elsewhere).
The inaugural lineup features some of the most buzzed about up and coming bands in the scene today. The founders selected this group of artists for the first run as they highlight the diversity of music and culture within our scene. And diversity was definitely the watchword of the day, along with lots of pink!
Letdown. kicked things off, though they didn’t live down to their name! BTW, the period at the end of their name is officially part of it. Not a grammar error. In 2020, the height of COVID, Blake Coddington was busy finding a new way to musically express himself. The Chicago-based rocker launched Letdown., a new project that features his powerful range of vocals and deeply personal lyrics over catchy guitar hooks and hypnotizing drum beats. Or in Coddington’s words, “It’s just me crying about my problems.” He’s semi-serious; Coddington’s mental health struggles have served as a primary creative focus for Letdown. The Big Loud Rock artist is looking to share his experiences to let others know that they’re not alone in their own struggles, and he’s found a home already in large swathes of the internet.
“I write music not only as therapy for myself, but for others who feel they are spread too thin, falling short or just not good enough,” Coddington explains.
In just six months, Letdown. saw 500k followers on TikTok, more than 265k monthly listeners on Spotify, and nearly 100k on Instagram — and that’s before counting the 12+ million streams Coddington’s singles have picked up. Of course, the emotionally vulnerable rocker is fully aware that TikTok hasn’t exactly become a bastion of heavier music just yet, and his bearded and tattooed look stands out from the platform’s assortment of teenage pop stars and dance routines. The first video he posted did like 500,000 views in the first three hours, and he didn’t know what to do with that because he came from a world where you make music, put it on YouTube to show to your friends, and 10 years later it has like 100 views.
But after achieving his initial online success, music (and getting people to listen to it on platforms outside of just TikTok) became a much larger focus for the artist. Ten singles, a handful of music videos, and bigger streaming and social numbers than he ever thought he’d see later, Coddington is ready to take the next step in his musical journey and start bringing his music live to the fans who have stuck with him throughout the pandemic. Thus the tour: “Touring is the only thing I can think about these days,” Coddington says. “I lose sleep over it every night. I dream of playing music in front of people every day, so touring is hopefully going to be a big part of the next few years of my life. I just want to get on the damn road!” I’m glad he did!
Honey Revenge, a flamboyant Los Angeles-based pop band, was definitely representing the LGBTQ+ community, and the crowd went wild when their rainbow-with-honeybee flags were posted on the guitar risers! Just returned from a European tour that included UK’s Slamdunk Festival, the band is apparently quite busy since its inception in 2021. The music is more mainstream pop, but with a bit more edge than the over-produced computer-perfected 93-takes combined into one tracks you might associate with commercial music today. And all the better for it! The core of the band consists of lead vocalist Devin Papadol and guitarist Donovan Lloyd, with a drummer and bassist added for the tour. Their album, Retrovision, is out on Thriller Records in both CD and several vinyl editions.
Next up was someone who identifes as a fan of Honey Revenge, professionally known as Scene Queen. Born Hannah Rose Collins and formerly known as RØSÉ, she is known for coining the style “bimbocore”, a subgenre of metalcore with feminist themes. She rose to fame on the social media platform TikTok, where she has garnered over 618,000 followers as of September 2023. Her debut EP Bimbocore was released in April 2022. A follow-up EP, Bimbocore Vol. 2, was released in November of that year. She’s definitely not shy about letting us know who she is, and doesn’t think highly of Florida’s current homophobic governor, Ron DeSantis! Ironically, she at first wanted to work in the admin side of the industry, turned down 3 times for an internship at her current label, Hopeless Records! They may not have known it, but it was a very smart move on their part, and they’re lucky she doesn’t hold a grudge! As she puts it, “I’m plastic, fantastic, and musically dramatic!” On her second EP, the second single released was, “Barbie & Ken”, a collaboration with a familiar to me American punk band, Set It Off. Good company! If you saw the Barbie Movie, imagine a real-life Barbie with a much more Joan Jett-like edgier/feminist outlook! Although unnamed, her backing band did a great job supplying the musical oomph!
Hey everybody! For our next band, let’s abandon the pink and purple motif and dress everyone in black! Stand Atlantic is an Australian pop punk band from Sydney, formed in 2012. The band consists of vocalist/rhythm guitarist Bonnie Fraser, lead guitarist David Potter, bassist Miki Rich, and drummer Jonno Panichi. The “Facebook-core” band released their demo EPs, Catalyst in 2013 and A Place Apart in 2015, with the name changed from What It’s Worth to the current name in 2014. The band signed with Rude Records in 2017 and released the single “Coffee at Midnight”, which landed them positive reviews. They released another EP, Sidewinder, in September 2017. After signing with Hopeless Records in September 2018, the band released their debut album Skinny Dipping in October 2018. Their second album, Pink Elephant, was released in August 2020, third album, F.E.A.R., was released in May 2022, with a fourth album, Was Here, scheduled for release on August 23, 2024. The band has stated influences from bands and artists such as Blink-182, The Story So Far, Justin Bieber, Silverchair, The 1975, and Moose Blood.
Okay, it’s time to talk about the Elephant in the Room, or more accurately, on the Stage. The Home Team started its set with an elephant, though surprisingly, not a pink one!
The Home Team is Brian Butcher (vocals), John Baran (guitar), Ryne Olson (bass), and Daniel Matson (drums). They are a Seattle based four piece band that, in an endeavor to blend multiple different genres, has branded themselves as “heavy pop.” Baran and Matson formed The Home Team in 2013 after touring in their respective metal bands for a while. In 2015, Butcher (who also happens to be the first person to ever purchase their original EP with the first singer) auditioned, and being a genuine fan of the band, made for the perfect new addition. Olson entered the fold in 2019 after meeting and clicking on tour.
The Home Team emerges from more traditional pop-punk and metal influences; they have introduced stylings of R&B, pop and funk into their music in an effort to be true to their tastes while crafting their heavy pop sound. The band has gone to great lengths to be creatively genuine with their audience, which has rewarded them many times over with an extremely dedicated and passionate fan base. Having shared stages with bands such as Don Broco, Senses Fail, and Real Friends (a band I wrote about in 2017), the band uses unique production to bring their electrifying performance to life. Having released immersive albums such as Better Off and Slow Bloom, this enigmatic band is continue to grow and evolve their music to create something unlike anything that has come before. The band’s single, “Loud” is pushing the success of their latest album, The Crucible of Life. “Beyond the obviously sexual subject matter of the song, ‘Loud’ is about finding your confidence in giving 110% to things that may be outside of your immediate comfort zone,” said Butcher about the track.
The night ended on a high note, as Magnolia Park pounced onstage! Hailing from the little town of Orlando, you would think they’d know about Florida’s temperature range, but apparently at least one member thinks it’s cool to be hot! Did I mention diversity was the theme here? This is also the third of the six bands that connects with an artist I’ve written about before: their single “Breathing” ft. nothing,nowhere (who I reviewed in 2017). is out now on Epitaph Records, with MoonEater & SoulEater EPs due August 18, 2024. The band formed in 2018, and the current members are Joshua Roberts – lead vocals (2019–present), Tristan Torres – guitar, backing vocals (2019–present), Freddie Criales – guitar, backing vocals (2019–present), Joe Horsham – drums, percussion (2020–present), and Vincent Ernst – keyboards, programming, backing vocals (2020–present). Since 2020 they’ve released five EPs and three full albums, quite the output over four years! Their songs are short, punchy, and often Halloween-themed.
If you get a chance, catch this tour! The final date is August 17, 2024, so get tickets if you can to the first idobi Radio Summer School Festival!
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When not in custody, I've been involved with music, photography, and writing my entire life. Ever since I was a young boy and played those silver tunes, I've had the beat, but being a drummer didn't suit me so I became a lead singer, which lasted a few years. Settling down, sort of, I translated my knowledge of audio and glib tongue into mobile emcee work, and my training as a photographer and videographer into a living in the wedding, party, bar/bat mitzvah, and entertainment industry. During this time I also managed to bamboozle my way into a master's degree in writing, worked for a couple of magazines (yes, I took photos for a nudist magazine!), have photographed hotels, done commercial work (shot the cover of Tablet and Capsule magazine), published a few articles, hosted some public access shows (a couple times in drag, but that's another story), and generally made a nuisance of myself until I landed here.
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