Pop-punk is alive and well, and the Idobi Radio Summer School Tour proves exactly that as the tour is joined by up-and-coming acts like Stand Atlantic, Scene Queen, The Home Team and more.
While the summers of the iconic Warped Tour are over, Kevin Lyman is not done. Lyman, alongside Eric Tobin (Hopeless Records) and Mike Kaminsky (KMGMT), bring to North America the Summer School Tour, which features a multitude of independent pop-punk acts. While there is only one stage and six musicians, the touring festival’s set up is made to bring awareness to the independent pop-punk community.
letdown.
Crowds rushed in to get a good spot at Warehouse Live Midtown, promptly at 4pm. Starting off the evening was Letdown, the solo project of Blake Coddington. On top of performing hits like “Harder to Breathe” and “Love is a Weapon,” Coddington had some interesting-yet-fun commentary throughout the set. “The venue feels like a greenhouse!” the singer exclaimed while pointing out the giant fan in the middle of the venue. The crowd began to chant “Big A** Fan” in hopes of the venue turning it on due to the heat.
Before ending the set, Letdown told Houston that he’d teach the city a very simple portion of a song before performing. He ended his energetic opening set with “Go to Hell.”
Honey Revenge
Up next was the highly-anticipated duo Honey Revenge, as fans were waiting for their set since their arrivals. One fan in the front row had a sign directed to the duo, while another fan screamed “I’m shaking and am about to go feral with Honey Revenge.” The duo soon took the stage and began their set with “Recipe for Disaster,” in which the audience went absolutely bonkers. The venue’s ground began to shake as fans jumped all over, much to Honey Revenge’s delight.
Most recently, the duo released their debut album titled Retrovision in 2023, and it was astonishing to see how many fans knew the lyrics back to back. Lead singer Devin Papadol teased the audience by screaming “Are you good Houston? Are you IMPRESSED?” as the riff for their song “Are You Impressed” began. After an incredible set that definitely pumped up the crowd, Honey Revenge ended with a bang as they performed “Airhead.”
Magnolia Park
Following Honey Revenge was Orlando based pop-punk band Magnolia Park, who had a very entertaining performance. The band started off with their track “Misfits,” which immediately spurred a mosh pit at the venue. Magnolia Park performed multiple songs from their latest album Halloween Mixtape II, such as “Animal.” The band also performed classic tracks like “10 for 10” and their latest single “Shallow.” Lead singer Joshua Roberts exclaimed how hot it was in the venue, but that it was okay due to the crowd’s high energy. During their song “Feel Something,” the band brought out Devin from Honey Revenge to join for a duet, which drove fans crazy.
The Home Team
The Home Team took the stage soon after, which was a fan-favorite for Houston. Immediately the band showed off their fun choreography skills. Fans started to crowdsurf and mosh like crazy during the first song “Brag,” making it the most hype set yet. The Home Team’s set consisted mainly of new songs from their album The Crucible of Life, and sprinkled in hits like “Move it Or Lose It.”
Scene Queen
The crowd was all amped up, and the sun was officially down in Houston. Scene Queen ran on stage to her song “Pink Push-Up Bra,” followed by the wildly-boisterous “18+.” Scene Queen is the alternate ego of singer Hannah Rose Collins, who began the project in 2020. She coined the term ‘BIMBO-CORE,’ which is noted in all of her songs. Her songs, such as “Pink Paper” and “MILF” are meant to be satirical, although some songs include emotional truth to it, such as “18+” targeting sexual harassment allegations against men in bands.
Collins made the show extremely entertaining by often interacting with fans, such as encouraging them to start a “Twerkle Pit” (a circle pit where everyone twerks instead of mosh). The singer most recently released her debut album Hot Singles in your Area this summer and promoted it as a hype album to all listeners. She ended her set with “Pink Rover,” and told Houston to continue being themselves.
Stand Atlantic
Australian band Stand Atlantic was the last act of the night, immediately stating that it’s hot and appreciate the city’s energy for their set. The band is set to release their fourth album titled Was Here later this year, and performing on the Summer School tour was a perfect way to get the news out there. They urged Houston to jump and get into their set, in which fans followed suit. Although Stand Atlantic had a few technical difficulties throughout their set, the band performed hits like “Jurassic Park,” “pity part” and “Lavender Bones” in such an energetic manner.
The Summer School tour did exactly what it was meant to do – provide fans with a ‘warped tour’ like festival while highlighting independent artists. Each set was unique in its own way, but each set had something in common: ENERGY. Every artist brought their very best performance to the Warehouse Live stage, and it’s something refreshing to see in today’s pop-punk music world.
I'm a full-time music journalist/photographer from Houston, number one Paramore fan and Husky dog owner. I have a B.S in Radio-Television-Film from UT Austin and a M.A in Mass Communications from the University of Houston, which makes me smart! On top of being an avid concert-goer and movie fanatic, I love bonding with others over the power of local music and media.
