PHOBYMO
If Clueless-era angst crashed into Scott Pilgrim-grade chaos and spawned a grunge-ska band raised on Paramore, Sublime, No Doubt, and raw heartbreak— you’d get Catbite. Their songs splice indie flair, ska core, and punk-pop dance-floor adrenaline. It’s music built for losing your voice to, and maybe your morals. Catbite sound like Guanabanas, E.R. Bradley’s and Respectable Street merged into one grungy all-night waterfront hangout where you meet the Bonnie to your Clyde.
The Philadelphia band spent the summer decimating U.K. stages; now they touch down for a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Florida double shot: Tampa’s Orpheum and, most vitally, Fort Lauderdale’s Revolution Live. Picture cheap beer sweat misting the crowd, brass riffs ricocheting off the walls, and a pit that feels like the eye of a hurricane — smiles flashing just before the smash. It’s an experience where it feels good to be bad, good to be real, good to be alive and dancing with the devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other.
Doom Garden, out now on Bad Time Records, marks their gnarliest bloom yet. Grammy-winning producer Sarah Tudzin (boygenius, illuminati hotties) lays cinematic grit beneath Brittany Luna’s velvet-razor roar. A cameo from Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy nudges the sound deeper into emo-punk territory without sanding off the sharp-toothed DIY edge. Luna’s lyrics mine confession and catharsis, wrestling self-judgment and redemption from grooves built for letting loose.
Get ready for the live set by queuing up a few fan favorites. “Bad Influence” oozes reggae-slick menace, glorifying reckless devotion. “Tired of Talk” crackles with pop-punk vulnerability and chaotic energy, with a video styled like a vintage zine collage. “Die in Denver” leans into full horror-comedy carnage — blood on the ice, hooks in your head — and confirms that Catbite would rather torch genre lines than politely blend them.
The result is an agile riot: ska swing, punk venom, indie curiosity, emo heart, and a mass purging of demons on the dance floor. Bring your favorite partner in crime—and maybe leave the angel on your shoulder at home.
Catbite, Against All Authority, and Laura Jane Grace perform 8pm Saturday, August 30 at Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale. catbite.net ~ Amanda Moore
