Photos and words by Zoey Bright
On July 12th, the Idobi Summer School tour took over Marathon Music Works, one of Nashville’s most iconic venues. The lineup featured six bands from across the U.S. and one from Australia, bringing non-stop energy and good vibes. The show kicked off with performances by Letdown and Honey Revenge, two newer but incredibly talented bands. Letdown’s lead singer, Brian Coddington, instantly captivated the audience not only with music, but the songwriting as well. His lyrics touched on important mental health topics like anxiety and depression. Letdown’s set mainly featured tracks from his latest album, Crying In The Shower, but he also performed “Spotlight,” his debut single released back in 2020. Since then, he has garnered nearly 700,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.
Shortly after Letdown’s set, the Los Angeles pop-rock band Honey Revenge took the stage. From the moment the charismatic duo Devin Papadol and Donovan Lloyd appeared, it was clear they were a crowd favorite. Their infectious energy kept the audience fully engaged, even inspiring a wave of crowd surfers. The band performed tracks from their latest album, Retrovision, including their hit single “Airhead,” which boasts over 12 million streams on Spotify. Honey Revenge was undoubtedly a standout act.
The Home Team, a pop punk band from Seattle, Washington, kicked off their set by passing out light sticks to nearly every member of the audience to celebrate the release of their latest album, The Crucible of Life, which dropped the same day as their performance in Nashville. Before the band members—Brian Butcher, John Baran, Ryne Olson, and Daniel Matson—took the stage, people in animal costumes hyped up the crowd with light sticks and some insane dance moves. Since the band has been putting out music since 2013, their setlist featured a mix of songs from their earlier albums and brand new tracks that had only been out for a few hours. You could tell this band had a loyal fan base based on the way the audience sang along to every song, both old and new. The Home Team’s performance undoubtedly created unforgettable memories for many in the audience.
Scene Queen kicked off her performance with “Pink Push-Up Bra,” an empowering anthem about women seeking justice in a male-dominated industry. Despite the crowd already being there for at least three hours, the New York singer kept the energy high throughout her set. She commanded the stage, even organizing the audience into a “twerkle pit.” Performing tracks from her latest album, Hot Singles in Your Area, she completely took over the crowd with her unique blend of bimbocore and metal sounds. She closed her set with “Pink Panther,” an upbeat track from her 2022 EP. Scene Queen was an ultimate stand out for us at this tour. Her distinct style and performance lets you know she’s fun but not to be messed with.
Stand Atlantic, a four-piece pop punk band from Sydney, Australia, stormed the stage with their song “WARZ0NE.” Lead singer Bonnie Fraser has some of the strongest vocals we’ve ever heard. It was evident that a lot of the crowd had come for this particular set. The audience let loose, firing away their crowd surfers and forming various mosh pits as the set raged on. Stand Atlantic performed a mix of new and old songs, including tracks from the early days of their career in 2012 and singles from their upcoming album WAS HERE, set to be released at the end of August. The band closed their set with the fan favorite “Coffee at Midnight,” sending the crowd into a frenzy.
Around five hours into the show, Magnolia Park took the stage to close out the tour. Their music is heavily influenced by pop-punk legends like Blink-182. Even with this inspiration, Magnolia Park has a sound they can truly call their own. Towards the end of their performance, they brought out Honey Revenge for a special rendition of their song “Unholy Heart.” This was a fantastic choice to close out the show.
Overall, the festival radiated good vibes. The best part about shows like this is that the audience with leave with some new favorite bands. This show was packed full of talented up and coming bands in the pop punk genre that myself and many others are excited to see grow in the next few years. If you were thinking of going to any of the Summer School Tour’s upcoming dates, we would highly recommend!
Check out Idobi Summer School’s tour here!
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