Pop-punkers, Meet Me @ The Altar embarked on their Say It To My Face tour, with over 20 stops planned across North America from January through May. The trio was originally formed in 2015 when the three members – drummer Ada, guitarist Téa, and vocalist Edith – worked remotely together on their music and after going viral in 2020 they were quickly signed to Fueled by Ramen. They opened for MUNA’s 2022 North American tour before embarking on their own debut headlining tour in 2023.
The 2024Say It To My Face tour follows the release of the deluxe edition of their popular 2023 LP, Past // Present // Future, which garnered lots of attention across social media. The current tour is supported by Elliot Lee, John Harvie, and Honey Revenge, and together they kicked off the D.C. show at the 930 Club on January 24 with their vibrant and energetic performances.
Brooklyn-based singer and songwriter Elliot Lee started off the night with her dark-pop melodies and unique stage presence. Introduced by a mysterious bunny figure, Elliot popped out onto the stage in a rush of energy, donning colorful overalls and a fuzzy bunny bonnet. Her electronic-rock sound and edgy vocals were entirely addictive, and the crowd was completely enamored by her performance. Midway through the set her and her bunny friend jumped around and jammed out together, even using bubble guns to make the atmosphere even more dreamy. Her five-song set included tracks from the 2023 album, Primordial Archive, such as “Funny Bunny,” “Easy To Be You,” and “Pink (Freak).” Closing out her set, she quickly explained her fanbase – the bubblegum army – and taught everyone their signature hand sign before taking a selfie with the crowd.
John Harvie was the next opening performance, bringing cool rocker vibes to the stage alongside his hard-hitting drummer. He effortlessly switched between acoustic and electric guitar for different songs, and despite having a raspy voice (which he pointed out mid-performance with the comment, “Daddy’s losing his voice!”) he powered through the night, introducing some of his newer singles like “Roses,” “At My Worst,” and “Figure 8.” Fans happily joined in during the choruses after John invited them to sing along. With his warm and humorous stage presence, the crowd continued to settle in comfortably for the long night of fun.
Rounding out the opening slot with their high energy pop-punk vibes, the Honey Revenge duo (consisting of vocalist Devin Papadol and guitarist Donovan Lloyd) danced across the stage to songs like “Worse Apology,” “Are You Impressed?,” and “Distracted” from their 2023 album, Retrovision. Mid-way through their performance, Devin invited fans who have never crowd-surfed to give it a try. People then proceeded to help fans of all ages complete their first crowd surfing experience in the most gentle and wholesome way possible while the band continued to rock out with the crowd through the remainder of their set. Following the vibrant performance, fans excitedly swarmed the merch booth in hopes of meeting the band and having their merch signed.
After a short intermission to reset the stage, colorful strobing lights signified the beginning of the main act of the night. Fans began screaming as each MM@TA member took their places – starting with Ada Juarez on drums, then Téa Campbell on guitar, and finally lead singer Edith Victoria stepped out. Fans were treated to songs from across their discography, such as “Brighter Days (Are Before Us),” “Now Or Never,” and “Feel a Thing,” followed by more recent tracks like “Try” and “T.M.I.” from their 2023 album.
Mid-set Edith asked everyone to vote between two tracks – “May The Odds Be In Your Favor” and “A Few Tomorrows” – to which fans decided on the latter. “Are you guys okay? That’s a really fucking sad song!” Edith laughed after the heartfelt song’s conclusion.
“Open the pit for the girls!” she requested next, launching into the second half of the performance with their 2021 break-through single, “Hit Like A Girl.” The band then each took turns introducing a cover song – Edith choosing “Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson, Ada going with “Take Me Away” by Christina Vidal, and finally Téa requesting “Burnin’ Up” by the Jonas Brothers. Fans eagerly joined in singing for each of the iconic tracks.
Closing out the night, MM@TA took a moment to teach everyone the chorus for “Kool” so they could sing along, then moved into the finale of the show with the tours’ namesake song, “Say It (To My Face).”
Be sure to catch Meet Me @ The Altar on their Say It To My Face tour through May 18, 2024! // Photos and words by: Sarah Peter (@miyabina.live)
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