A steady rain and a line wrapped around the building couldn’t damper the anticipation for Destroy Boys’ first-ever Memphis show.
Fresh off a European tour, Memphis artist Blvck Hippie opened the night with an energetic set. Since forming in 2018, Blvck Hippie has been a staple of the Memphis indie scene. A good bit of their set featured cuts from 2021’s If You Feel Alone At Parties, with the rest made up of new material. The self-proclaimed “Sad Boy Indie Rock Band” primed the crowd for the madness that followed.
Austin, TX-based Die Spitz was up next, moving the room from “energized” into “full-on riot.” From the opening riff of “Slater” from the recently released Teeth, the crowd was in constant flux between moshing and dancing. With vocals (and some drumming) rotating between Ava Schrobilgen, Chloe Andrews, and Ellie Livingston each song has its own flavor and vibe. All the while bassist Kate Halter jumped, danced, and played to the crowd while holding down a driving bass line. It’s easy to see how the band took home Best Punk, Best New Act, and Best Residency at this year’s Austin Music Awards. In the intermission between bands, members of Food Not Bombs took the stage to let the crowd know how they can help feed Memphis’ less fortunate. Food Not Bombs serves surplus food gathered from grocery stores, bakeries, and markets which would otherwise go to waste. You can learn more about how to become involved here.At last, Destroy Boys took the stage to a raucous welcome from the packed room. Formed in 2015, the current lineup consists of founders Alexia Roditis (guitar and vocals) and Violet Mayugba (guitar and backing vocals), with Narsai Malik on drums and David Orozco on bass.
From the first song to the last, the room was fully locked in with the band, belting out every word to every song. It was obvious that many had been waiting a long time to have Destroy Boys visit Memphis. Leading with “Drink” from 2021’s Open Mouth, Open Heart, you could barely hear vocalist Alexia Roditis during the chorus when the crowd screamed, “She really loves me.” Coming off a run playing arenas with Blink-182, Alexia mentioned that it “has been a while since we had people singing our lyrics back to us.” The energy during Die Spitz was more physical, but the crowd supported Destroy Boys with the pure force of their lungs.
Alexia and guitarist/backing vocalist Violet Mayugba constantly interacted with the crowd between songs, keeping everyone engaged and feeling like they were a part of the show. These interactions ranged from anecdotes about the meaning of songs (Violet), a call-to-action to “Make your art no matter what” (Alexis), and the organization of a circle pit (both).
After a fake exit to the green room, the band “returned” for their encore, but couldn’t decide what they wanted to play. Violet eventually settled on something she had been “working on” with drummer Narsai Malik, launching into Green Day’s “When I Come Around” and Blink-182’s “Damnit.” After giving both those songs a thumbs down, bassist David Orozco crooned on Weezer’s “Undone (The Sweater Song).” Alexia then closed out the show with a solo rendition of “Piedmont” from 2018’s Make Room.
Destroy Boys might have arenas on their resume now, but they seem right at home headlining for their people.
You can see Destroy Boys on their remaining US dates in July, or in Europe starting August 8th.
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