We are talking ska, we are talking mod, we are talking emo. Took a turn there at the end, but we are in for tons of good stuff this week.
Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? Hit us up at griffin@rvamag.com.
Eastern Standard Time, Steelboy
Get Tight Lounge 10.09.2026
I am a simple man. When Secret Planet hosts a show, I am there. For those who don’t know, Secret Planet is a group that specializes in showing you the music that you might never get a chance to hear. Recently, that meant the legendary Togo psych project Dodo Du Togo, one of the best shows I have seen in recent years.
This week, the conversation is on Eastern Standard Time, Washington, D.C.’s premier group to deliver Caribbean sounds. The group is made up of experienced ska players and comes with a sound that fits somewhere between The Selecter and Desmond Dekker. They have all the smooth charisma of the first age of ska with the energy and excitement that the ’70s brought to the genre. If you want to sit back in your suit and porkpie hat and nod along, you’ll enjoy it. If you want to get up and swing along, you could not find a better occasion. I have wailed for years that it is not easy to find good classic ska/reggae in Richmond, but this is the time and Get Tight is the place.
Local act Steelboy is in support for this one. They are undoubtedly a punk group. Their sound harkens to the likes of Rancid, Bad Religion, and plenty of those other ’90s skaters. The group definitely has some ska sensibilities. Songs like “Hell No” feature some horns that fit right into the aforementioned sounds. They boast some really great vocals that are easy to get attached to quickly. Tunes like “No Lives Left” show that this group has more than enough energy to get the night going quite well.
Young Scum, The Yipps, The Falling Spikes, Morpha Too
Gallery 5 10.14.2026
Big day for power pop fans in the greater Richmond area. First up, we have local act Young Scum. Great name. They have releases dating back to 2015 and have honed in on a jangly and lighthearted sound. There is a certain beachy quality to their sound that just relaxes your shoulders and lets the sun hit your face a bit easier. They are a band that really puts you at ease. You leave it all at the door when you step in the room with Young Scum.
The Yipps are a new group out of Asheville that are part of that contemporary mod scene. From what I have been able to find of them, you could draw comparisons to early Beatles, Sharp Pins, and TV Buddha.
Athens, Georgia’s Falling Spikes are coming from a similar place. It is pure, unabridged, clean mod power pop. They have actually been on my radar for a bit through the release of their debut single in March of this year. That single, entitled “He’s Still in Love with You,” is just spectacular. It harkens back to an older era but feels even more relatable in this day and age somehow.
Last up, we have Morpha Too. These are the new and local up-and-comers. Their most recent show reminded me of just how great of a quad this group is. They are all local scene veterans and have united over a love of jangle pop and college rock to create some really sweet and catchy tunes. I am hoping to hear a release from them soon, but am happy to take what I can get.
Basement, Momma, Big Boy, Febuary
The National 10.11.2026
Ipswich’s own Basement is at The National this week. If you haven’t heard them, you probably actually have. If you need further reminder, Basement is one of the most defining emo bands to come out of the UK. They fall in this specific category between post-hardcore and post-grunge, a blend that is synonymous with the name Basement. As I sat down to listen to Basement to write this paragraph, I forgot how many tracks I knew and how each one gets me moving and singing, and that is just coming from the phone speaker. They are incredibly anthemic, and I think they will be so well suited on the big stage of The National.
California’s Momma is the first support act we will take a look at. This band can seem stripped back from a distance, but as you get into ’em, you realize they have some big hooks and melodies. They are definitely indie rockers, but there is a certain level of grunge and shoegaze that gives ’em some great dynamics.
We got another Cali act in the likes of Big Boy. Safe to say this is a hardcore group. They are coming in fast and hard, loud and ready. A group like this could blow the top off of The National. They are ultra-intense, but with a keen and creative songwriting mind that sets them apart from your average hardcore band with things like unique samples.
Last up, we have Las Vegas screamo band Febuary. This is a pretty foreign genre to me, but from my understanding, they do it well. The group rocks that Midwestern emo-style guitar and balances it out with some harsher vocal moments. I almost feel like some of it borders on noise rock, which can create some really cool and unusual sounds.
NEW TUNES
Trauma Chic by The Get Off
Eight songs from local punk/hardcore act The Get Off coming in hot off the press. This is a group I can never get enough of, from my first time seeing them as a fresh-faced 18-year-old.
The album is called Trauma Chic, and it is a politically packed lot, but this band has always been loud and proud of their beliefs, never shy to express them and express them strongly, something that always drew me further towards them. Sonically, I think this is their best release. It is hard-hitting and heavy, with some of their best breakdowns and some of the most direct and well-delivered vocals from Bartlett on vocals. I swear up and down on this record, and I swear up and down on their live performances, so go check ’em out.
Main photo of Basement by Jake Foote
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