The packed lineup of the Summer School tour hit the downstairs stage of Worcester Palladium, The Home Team headlining this six band show.
The first band to hit the stage on Sunday night was Letdown. They may be one of the lesser known bands on the bill for the night but the fans were clearly excited to see them just the same. The band started the show with a bang, the crowd screaming excitedly to get the show started. At the end of their first song there was unfortunately some technical difficulties with their equipment, but they quickly recovered and didn’t miss a beat following that. A few moments and a smooth recovery, the mishap was quickly forgotten by most fans in the crowd and they continued on with the show. The band’s stage presence held the crowd’s attention while they danced and sang along to their songs. Opening up such a big show is not an easy job but they did a wonderful job kicking things off.
The second band of the night was Honey Revenge. This pop-punk duo has support from a bassist and drummer while on tour and all four of them hit the stage with energy, high kicks matching the beat of the songs and big smiles on their faces. Honey Revenge is a newer band that many people discovered on TikTok, they have been touring endlessly the last couple of years and clearly have found many new fans along the way. The crowd was dancing, jumping, crowdsurfing and singing along to the band’s music their whole set. Their upbeat and fun on-stage energy is contagious and it’s impossible to be in a band mood while watching this fun band perform.
Next up was the band Magnolia Park, the band’s vibe a bit of a switch up from Honey Revenge’s high energy with darker lighting to match the band’s heavier sound. This five piece pop-punk band has been turning out hits and doing endless collabs with other artists like “Liar”, “Unholy Heart”, “Misfits”, and many more. Their setlist was full of their hit songs and they even brought out vocalist Devin Papadol from Honey Revenge while they performed “Unholy Heart” since she is featured in the song. The crowd was singing along throughout their whole set and clearly enjoying it with things like dancing, moshing, crowdsurfing. They aren’t the most high energy band and had a more laid back set than some of the other bands but their performance was not lacking.
Now halfway through the show, the next act up was Scene Queen. This pint sized blonde who is truly Scene Queen, is only small in size with a big sound, outrageous lyrics and endless banter in between songs with everything from jokes at men’s expense to political reminders to vote for everyone’s rights. As soon as she hit the stage, her energy was at full speed with dancing and moving around the whole stage and it did not falter throughout the whole set. Scene Queen is one of the newer bands and less known by some members of the crowd but she definitely left an impression. Her unique style of music, coined as ‘bimbocore’ which is a self made term for a subgenre of metalcore with feminist themes. Lyrics range from topics like sexuality, spiked drinks, weed, and calling out the musicians sleeping with underage fans. The only common theme is tongue in cheek and outspoken, ranging from celebrating being yourself to holding people accountable. She left her mark on that stage and her words left an impression, making lots of new fans with each show.
Stand Atlantic hit the stage next. This Australian pop-punk band has been churning out hits for a decade now. It was clear that many people in the crowd were fans from the screams and cheers from the crowd as soon as they walked onto the stage and started their performance. With being from the other side of the planet, the band may not tour as much here as the rest of the bands on the bill but that makes it even more special when the fans do get to see them. All of the members were moving around the stage, interacting with each other and the crowd. Vocalist Bonnie Fraser did a wonderful job of captivating the crowd’s attention and getting them to participate in the performance by singing along, waving their arms and getting into the performance in general. Before the band performed one of their latest hits “Girls”, Bonnie facetimed Pvris frontwoman Lynn Gunn who is also featured on the recorded song. Lynn Gunn being a Massachusetts native originally, this was probably an extra thrill for the crowd. The band also brought out Scene Queen herself, Hannah Rose Collins out on the stage during a song. Hannah was sitting in a rolling office chair while band members took turns twirling her as if they were dancing with her during their performance. Their performance was full of fun, laughs, and spot on performing.
Finally, it was time for the last band of the night. Last but certainly not least it was The Home Team up to stage. This four piece pop-punk band has been adored by fans since they came onto the scene with hit after hit in their 2021 album Slow Bloom. The band recently released an album this year titled The Crucible of Life. Their setlist was filled with a mixture from both albums and the crowd seemed to love every single song they played. Vocalist Brian Butcher was more laid back than some other vocalists that night, focusing more on belting out the high energy songs and making sure he hit every note than jumping around the stage. Other members of the band more than made up for that in the energy department with the bassist and guitar player both high kicking, spinning and dancing even while playing. Their personalities shining through as goofy and offbeat, just like their fun music. The performance sounded just as good as their recorded songs and the band did not miss a beat throughout their eleven song set.
THE HOME TEAM
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STAND ATLANTIC
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SCENE QUEEN
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MAGNOLIA PARK
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HONEY REVENGE
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