Girl at the Rock Shows

This weekend did not go as planned. Something felt off on Friday night. I got the text on Saturday. My heart broke. I’m not sure I’m ready to talk about it but, long story short, a co-worker passed away on Friday night in a very tragic and traumatic way. My heart aches for him and his family. He was young and one of the kindest souls in this office. Life had dealt him a rough hand, and this felt almost like it was just another stacked deck. I wasn’t in the mood to do anything. I didn’t want to admit it to the people around me, but I was struggling with coming to terms with what had happened. When Sunday rolled around, I really debated even going to the show I had on the books. Could I hold it together long enough to make it through a show? Could I get my mind off the fact that I was going to be one of the people who had to tell the entire office what had happened on Friday night? Instead of feeling a sense of relief when I walked into the Varsity Theater on Sunday night, I felt a feeling of dread, and like, although I was physically there, I was not actually there. That being said, I did my best to push my thoughts and feelings out of my head and just be one with the music. There were moments when this worked and moments when it didn’t, but those moments where I was able to escape my feelings of sadness were just what I needed.

Philadelphia-based Catbite was the only opening act on Sunday night, and, honestly, that’s all the crowd needed to get warmed up for the main attraction. Catbite is a ska band, but their blend of ska, like the headliner’s, is distinct. It’s definitely fresh and modern, but the nods to ska of years gone by are clear. With Brittany Luna behind the microphone, the amount of power that radiated from this band throughout the set was just what I needed. It wasn’t just a distraction from what was happening in my head, but it was like a shock of adrenaline. Although I’ve heard faster and louder ska bands in my life, the more laid-back nature of Catbite really resonated with me and gave me a chance to breathe. At the same time, the infectious energy and beat gave me just enough to bop around the room.

I’ve seen Catbite twice. Once was at Punk Rock Bowling in 2024, and the other time was at Riot Fest that same year. I honestly don’t remember much from the Punk Rock Bowling set. I remember the Riot Fest set, but that wasn’t just Catbite. That was Catbite with Laura Jane Grace playing Operation Ivy’s iconic 1989 album, ‘Energy.’ Honestly, I don’t know if something changed with this band or with me. Part of me feels like maybe their set went just a bit harder when I saw them at Punk Rock Bowling, and, for some reason, that meant it blended in with the rest of the bands that day, but the other part of me feels like maybe this is one of those bands that does a bit better in a more intimate setting. Either way, Catbite colored me impressed with their set on Sunday night, and I hope it doesn’t take me another two years to see them again.

As great as Catbite was, that wasn’t the main attraction on Sunday night. That came in the form of RX Bandits. RX Bandits is a very unique ska band that got their start in 1995. I’m not sure how it happened, but they snaked their way into the emo/ pop-punk scene that I called home (shout-out to Drive-Thru Records, which I think is the main reason for this move) and, honestly, the rest is history. Sunday night was a part of a tour celebrating twenty years of their album ‘… And the Battle Begun.’ I’ll be the first to admit this wasn’t my album. My album was their 1999 ‘Halfway Between Here and There,’ but I think that has more to do with the fact that that was released on Drive-Thru Records rather than MDB Records/ Sargent House, which is who released ‘…And the Battle Begun,’ but that is neither here nor there.

Before a single string was plucked or a drum was smashed, RX Bandits hit the excited audience with their vocals. So many bands do this. Truthfully, it’s par for the course, but there was something different about this because, instantly, chills crept up my spine. RX Bandits is many things. This is a ska band, but a ska band in a way only they could pull off. They are a band of seasoned professionals with a sense of talent that is truly unmatched. Their songs aren’t just songs; they are stories, and they lead to some of the best daydreams possible. Out of all of those things, my favorite thing about this band is the vocals. Maybe it was because it was so different than the whiny pop-punk and emo world that I found myself in in the early to mid-2000s. Maybe it was just because the tone is so beautiful, and when the band breaks into three and even four-part vocal harmonies, it gives you chills as it did on Sunday night. Maybe it’s both of those things. Regardless, it’s the vocals of this group that have always left me absolutely stunned, and the fact that that’s how they kicked off their set on Sunday night absolutely thrilled me.

RX Bandit’s set was a typical anniversary-show kind of setlist. The band played through the thirteen songs set with not only a sense of precision, but a sense of respect. Instead of just playing the hits with emotion and passion while letting some of the album’s subtler tracks fall to the wayside, this band gave every song the attention and love it absolutely deserved. The music was recording-ready, like I was just listening to the album in the comfort of my own home, but with an energized feeling you can’t get from just listening to it. After the playthrough, the band went on to play a few more songs, including a flawless cover of “Gangsters” originally by The Specials with the help of Catbite, before closing out the show with two more originals.

I should say more about this show; truthfully, I was in and out of reality throughout the night, to the point where most of it is a bit hazy to me. I loved, and I needed it, but this was a night where I just needed to get lost in a show, not analyze it, so that’s exactly what I did. Hug your friends. Tell your co-workers what they mean to you. Call your parents and visit your siblings. Life is too short to do anything less.

Line Up:

Catbite

RX Bandits

Venue: Varsity Theater

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 40

Crowd Surfers- 0

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 3 out of 10

Amount of Beer Spilled On Me While Walking Around- $0

Broken Bones- None

Spotted Flying Through The Air- Nothing

Fights- None

Pukers- 0

Passed Out People- 0

How Many Times I’ve Seen These Bands Before (or at least how many times I can remember)-

Catbite – 2

RX Bandits – 2

Show on Deck – Good Charlotte / Avenged Sevenfold

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