Ybor City’s beloved Orpheum isn’t gonna be around in the historic district for much longer, so the time to get into as many unforgettable shows as possible is now.
Last Saturday, the line to get in stretched as far out as The Dirty Shame next door, yet so far away. Set to headline inside was Chicago rock band Knuckle Puck, with support from Michigan-based emo band Hot Mulligan, Floridian, Internet-established Meet Me @ The Altar, and Connecticut up-and-coming band Anxious.
As ravishing as a 17-song set that Knuckle Puck showcased, it was the opening acts that left the biggest mark, and even made a few new fans—in fact, there was no yawn-worthy moment all night.
Connecticut punk rock quintet Anxious spent its half-hour long set bouncing all over creation, and dedicating songs to the children who watched their parents go through a divorce. Hot Mulligan spent its set playing the majority of its sophomore LP, You’ll Be Fine. Before launching into that, lead singer Nathan “Tades” Sanville didn’t remember where exactly he was, city-wise. “I know it starts with an I,” he said before his realization. “Ybor! The fuckin’ chicken place.” Yes, Nathan. The chicken place.
Sandwiched in between was Meet Me @ The Altar, an all-female trio (quintet when it’s playing live) that met through drummer Ada Juarez’s YouTube drum covers in 2015. Lead singer Edith Johnson had to virtually audition, but the way she graces a stage, swinging her neon green and pink braids around while donning baggy black pants, you’d think she were a childhood friend of Juarez or guitarist Téa Campbell. The group is already signed to Fueled By Ramen, and it opened for Glass Animals and Twenty One Pilots (stylized “twenty one pilots”) at 97x Next Big Thing, so this part of the stacked bill was undoubtedly no joke.
Meet Me @ The Altar opened its set with its wishful, yet confident 2020 lockdown single, “May The Odds Be In Your Favor.” What came next was some earlier tunes, as well as half of the band’s latest EP, Model Citizen, starting with “Mapped Out,” which sees one begging to find a way out of unfamiliarity, be it mental or physical.
Closing up the all-female set was Model Citizen’s opener, “Feel A Thing,” followed by “Garden,” another post-COVID single. Considering how packed Orpheum was Saturday night, don’t be too surprised if you catch the girls headlining a show at Crowbar or even Jannus Live in the months to come.
Get our photos of Knucklepuck, Hot Mulligan, Meet Me @ The Altar, and Anxious below, and go catch a show at Orpheum while you still have a chance.