Author: Polyvox Magazine

  • The Last Dinner Party at KEMBA Live! – Columbus, OH

    The Last Dinner Party at KEMBA Live! – Columbus, OH

    Photos and words by Claudia Page

    The Last Dinner Party might be the only show where you’ll find Scooby Doo and a medieval crusader in the same crowd. The Columbus stop on The Last Dinner Party’s “From the Pyre Tour” ignited a spark at KEMBA Live! on June 9 that felt like no other.

    Featuring Abigail Morris, Aurora Nishevci, Emily Roberts, Georgia Davies, and Lizzie Mayland, The Last Dinner Party is known for their blend of whimsical and haunting sound, creative storytelling, and defiant femininity. The band’s aesthetic and passion is refreshing to hear, and even more incredible to see in front of your eyes. For this tour, Max Lilley filled in as the bassist as Davies recovers from a spinal injury.

    Hours before doors opened, a line wrapped around the venue, with many familiar faces from the earlier meet and greet/signing at Used Kids Records. Chainmail, ribbons, corsets, lace — you name it — the fans wore it. An eager crowd patiently waited in the 80 degree heat in their outfits that felt like they were plucked right out of the world that The Last Dinner Party created. Walking down the line, as well at a booth inside the venue, was Ribbons for Provisions. In exchange for a donation, fans would receive a colored ribbon with the band’s name on it. Morris later shouted out the initiative and expressed how amazing it was to see so many people in the audience wearing them. 

    Entering the venue, I was graced with the most elaborate and stunning set design of any show I’ve been to. The show opened with an electrifying set from Automatic, a band I had the pleasure of discovering that night. After being given a warm welcome from the audience, The Last Dinner Party took the stage. Abigail Morris wore a gorgeous vintage-style bobble trim dress and sported a fan-made ribbon with a hand painted close-up of Davies’ eye from @savvys_sketches. This gesture, along with Morris raising a glass to their absent bandmate with the audience made it feel like Davies was there in spirit. 

    Morris gave a unique love to the Columbus crowd, starting the iconic “OH-IO” chant excitedly multiple times. The opening song’s “Agnus Dei” lyrics “‘Twas on the banks, the Ohio” also erupted in cheers from the audience, and then a big smile from Morris. Her angelic and powerful stage presence throughout the night did not disappoint. 

    Keyboardist Aurora Nishevci paused in a beautiful moment during track 8’s “Gjuha” to speak on her pride of being from an immigrant family, as well as stated how immigrants make America special. Following that track, guitarist Lizzie Mayland took control of the stage as the main vocalist with “Rifle.” The song’s ending bass could be felt through my whole body. 

    The Last Dinner Party sang their newest track “Big Dog,” which Morris dedicated to the fan in a Scooby Doo costume. The band expressed their gratitude to the fans, sharing that the audience gives them a gift every night. These words were validated throughout the show as they made it a point to give every side of the stage equal attention. Everyone on stage sat during “Sail Away,” a single beam of light shining on Morris as she intimately serenaded the audience.

    The band ended with their top track “Nothing Matters,” in which Morris asked everyone to put their phones away, jump around, and be fully present. To no surprise, cheering for an encore followed. The encore’s “This is the Killer Speaking” even included “special admission” to Abigail’s choreography lesson, in which she playfully taught and asked the audience to dance along to the song’s chorus with her. The band ended the encore with an “Agnus Dei” reprise thanking every crew member of the tour down to the bus driver and sign language interpreter.

    Catch The Last Dinner Party as they continue their magical tour here.

  • Polyvox’s Guide to Nelsonville Music Festival 2026

    Polyvox’s Guide to Nelsonville Music Festival 2026

    Words by Jack Foley

    (NMF)

    If there’s any festival to gatekeep, it’s Nelsonville Music Festival.

    Each year, Nelsonville Music Festival returns to the rolling hills of southeast Ohio for a weekend of incredible music, art, and community. It’s truly one of the most incredible atmospheres in the music industry, and we are thrilled to be covering NMF 2026. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the festival, with arguably one of its best lineups yet. As the much-anticipated weekend approaches, we hope to provide you with a guide to all things NMF and the artists you won’t want to miss.

    THURSDAY

    Thursday will open with morning showers, giving way to a perfect afternoon at Snow Fork. You certainly will not want to miss Porch Stage headliners, Geese and Wednesday. If you want to get those first-day jitters out, Geese is the perfect band to completely lose it to. Scream, shout, whatever that guy from Tears for Fears said–this is the time and place. Wednesday will close the stage out with their incredible countrygaze power riffs and poignant storytelling caked in fuzz and lap steel guitar. While you’re at it, be sure to check out local performers such as Columbus’ own Big Fat Head for a late-night art punk riot at the Mudville Stage.

    FRIDAY

    Friday keeps things moving along, featuring artists from a plethora of backgrounds and genres. We recommend kicking things off with Athens natives, Space Kid, and rotating between the staggered sets at Howard’s Stage, Porch Stage, and Creekside Stage, ending the evening with Bertha: Grateful Drag to cap off a day of genre-bending fanfare.

    SATURDAY

    Must-see artists include Fruit Bats, Mikaela Davis, Cat Clyde, Marcus King Band, and Wine Lips. We cannot think of a better lineup to cap things off for the twentieth anniversary of Ohio’s greatest festival.

    VENDORS AND FOOD

    NMF strives to bring in a diverse array of local artists, restaurants, and small businesses. If you are looking for no-name fair food with no soul, this is not the function for you. There is no shortage of options for vegetarians, vegans, and carnivores alike–NMF features a lineup of any cuisine you could think of. Personally, I look forward to checking out Heady Beans, Portia’s Cafe, Freewheelin Pizzeria, and just about everything my wallet can handle. Far too many festivals prioritize low-quality slop, and thankfully, NMF is not one of them. There will be several artisan vendors as well, and as always, be sure to support local artists. After all, we would be nothing without our Ohio art community.

    Regardless of what you listen to, what your vibe is, or your palate, NMF offers some of the finest experiences nestled in the Appalachian foothills. We cannot wait to provide Polyvox readers with day-by-day coverage and highlights from NMF 2026.

  • Dance Gavin Dance at Old National Centre – Indianapolis, IN

    Dance Gavin Dance at Old National Centre – Indianapolis, IN

    Photos by Ava Reynolds

  • DEVO at Murat Theatre – Indianapolis, IN

    DEVO at Murat Theatre – Indianapolis, IN

    Photos by Ava Reynolds

  • The Asheley Catacombs and feeble little horse’s Newest Album

    The Asheley Catacombs and feeble little horse’s Newest Album

    Words by Ruby Kolik

    Bitknot (via BandCamp)

    We are descending into pixels on the internet, just in time for feeble little horse’s return with a surprise new full-length studio album, bitknot, with Saddle Creek Records.

    After a lengthy wait between the release of their 2023 album Girl with Fish and now, feeble little horse is back for more–and this time they’re not so feeble. In three years, the band has released their single “This is Real” and gone on a national tour for Girl with Fish. With this new release marking their third full album, the Pittsburgh-born band is more confident than ever to expand their horizons beyond the bounds of the US, and they have just announced that they will tour both in the US and internationally behind the album, starting July 11th through the end of the year.

    bitknot is a true showcase of the band’s alternative, electronic aesthetic. Written, arranged, produced, and recorded by Sebastian Kinsler, Lydia Slocum, and Jake Kelley across their respective homes in Pittsburgh, the album focuses its attention on themes of identity, overconsumption, and returns to a retro version of what our computers once were, grounding itself in the zeros and ones.

    “The album art is based on the coincidental core memory matrix,” the band writes in their Instagram post announcing both the album and tour, “which was used in old computers to store memory/access information using 0s and 1s. Each core, or ‘bit,’ is accessed through the grid of wires, like a knot that stores secret details and memories.” The wall of noise that permutates the space in your ears serves as a line between the world of real and that of the technological. Lydia whispers in your ears before breaking out into screams, as the echoed electric guitar supports, almost smothers, her vocals. They become one.

    In bitknot, they’ve returned to the studio with similar glitchcore and pop sounds from before. The album, at a short 25 minutes, sounds more summer pop than releases before, utilizing similar synth sounds heard in artists like Frost Children and ear. The opening is as epic as ever, with amp feedback and heavy drums, descending quickly into a conversation, an up-beat blend of predictable snare hits, then deeper once again to the heavier metal sounds. Lydia’s voice is relied on in songs like “Paris” and “Rewind” as it has been in the past, but in a song like “Cradle”, we hear the voices of other band members which brings a fullness to the songs presence. “DMT” is arguably the most metal song on the track list, including record scratches, electric guitar riffs, and the everpresent screams of their lead singer. “Upside Down” is held steady with a heavy bass drum line and distorted vocal tones that eventually devolve in the end, the way many of their songs tend to do, sounding intentionally rough around the edges. The album weaves between genres and sounds, opening the conversation of deep identity exploration and the multifaceted experience of a young person’s personal exploration.

    It’s no secret that, in a technologically driven world, the visual is just as important as the audio. feeble little horse’s online presence is nothing short of enchanting and maintains the aestheticism that many indie artists strive for. In the past six months, The Asheley Catacombs has seen an increased volume of posts. The Tumblr page, run by lead singer Lydia Slocum, started as a blog of sorts detailing her post-grad life, but is now generally a creative and artistic collective visualized as a website that would be seen on Windows 98. The page is dedicated to cutting out “platforms that combine art and commercials”. The band has built their brand not around rejecting modernity, but leaning into it, and returning audiences to a form of media consumption that is centered around the individual rather than larger corporations. The lack of information about the new album’s release by the band, paired with their distinct yet anonymous whimsical imagery ties feeble little horse’s aesthetic together with a loose, string of cut up metal.

  • BALACLAVA at Cafe Bourbon Street – Columbus, OH

    BALACLAVA at Cafe Bourbon Street – Columbus, OH

  • Wednesday at The King of Clubs – Columbus, OH

    Wednesday at The King of Clubs – Columbus, OH

  • feeble little horse at Ace of Cups – Columbus, OH

    feeble little horse at Ace of Cups – Columbus, OH

    Photos by Jack Foley

  • SHOW REVIEW: LAUNDRY DAY at Ottobar- Baltimore, MD

    Words by Elisabeth Kay

    The extension of LAUNDRY DAY’s Time of Your Life tour was nearing the end of its run as the band played one of their final shows in Baltimore. The February chill still loomed as fans lined up outside Ottobar, with the group camped out at the front evading shivers as they passed out metallic neon party hats to those who joined the line behind them. The show was already promising one big party before the doors opened.

    Once they did, a crowd quickly formed in front of the stage set up in the dimly lit, sticker-covered bar. A playlist that contained a multitude of genres rang out as people joined the crowd, ordered drinks, or bought merch– a few shirts were specially made for this tour stop. Soon enough, New York-based DJ Satchel Shure took the stage. He warmed up the audience by blending nostalgia with modern club classics, with a smile spread across his face. Jude Ciulla-Lipkin, lead singer of LAUNDRY DAY, made a surprise appearance with an arm slung around Satchel’s shoulder. The high energy left me wanting more, making the fifteen-minute wait for the main attraction feel like hours.

    When the lights finally dimmed once more, and the crowd broke into an uproar of screams, I knew this was going to be worth the wait. “R U READY,” the opening track from their sixth album “EARWORM,” blasted through the speakers as the four boys took their designated places on the stage. Fans immediately started jumping along to the beat, not nervous about their energy waning throughout the show, because at a LAUNDRY DAY show, that’s just not possible.

    Though the setlist stays relatively the same throughout the tour, no two shows on the Time of Your Life tour are the same. While extensively celebrating their most recent album, not skipping a song from its dynamic track list, they make sure to show their older releases some love, too. Their most well-known songs, such as “Jane” and “BULLDOG,” continue to capture the hearts of those familiar, and sink into those who are hearing them for the first time. The boys encourage the crowd to pull whoever they came with close during “FRIENDS,” which gained popularity in 2020. Strangers became friends, and friends became closer as they swayed and sang along to the words, “name a time and place, we’ll be fine;” it felt like a sense of hope for the future washed over the small bar. This intimate moment was followed by an acoustic mashup of some of their older releases, including “We Switched Bodies,” which differs from night to night. The party hats didn’t go unnoticed, either; the day before, both guitarists (who coincidentally are both named Henry) shared a birthday. Jude led the crowd in a rendition of “Happy Birthday” dedicated to the pair.

    Along with these surprises, LAUNDRY DAY delivered another surprise to their Baltimore fanbase. Just days before the release of their latest single, “Shut Up I Love You,” those crowded in Ottobar got to hear the full song, live. The stage lights turned a romantic shade of pink as their performance wowed the expectant audience, delivering sappy, heartfelt lyrics over a beat straight out of a rom-com. It was evident this song will be on the playlists of concertgoers throughout the room upon its release. 

    The boys left the crowd hungry for more. Thankfully, the encore quickly followed their departure with “Dancing Queen” soundtracking their entrance. They opened the encore setlist with “Why is Everyone a DJ?” and, ironically, Satchel was right in front of me in the mosh pit. While he danced, he held up an iPhone 5C, which the band used throughout the tour to capture memories both backstage and on stage– just another way the boys tried to connect with fans in their own, unique way.

    LAUNDRY DAY’s social media presence has been integral to both their album rollout and this tour, though this is only one way the band stays in touch and personal with fans. As the band approached the last song of the encore, “SEE YOU IN ANOTHER LIFE,” band and crowd became one. Instead of watching the moshing from the stage, Jude wanted to be part of the action, making his way into the middle of the pit and moshing with fans surrounding him. Though this moment only lasted a few minutes, it left the venue buzzing with energy even when the stage went empty. 


  • TAKAAT at Cafe Bourbon Street – Columbus, OH

    TAKAAT at Cafe Bourbon Street – Columbus, OH

    Photos by Jack Foley