By Nate Bristol
When I first walked into the 40 Watt, I was met with minimal moody lighting, loud and active sounds, and an infectious vibe that made me want to groove with the crowd as we waited to see Phoneboy. They were on tour after releasing their 2025 project, Heartbreak Designer. The 40 Watt is a classic Athens venue that’s a lot of fun, and it’s definitely worth seeing a show there if you haven’t. Alongside Phoneboy, three bands opened including PONY, Slowjoy, and Heart Attack Man.
PONY is a grunge pop band, and they were a great start to the concert. Playing some of their most popular songs from their new album, Clearly Cursed. Their vocalist was super cool and had a great voice, with songs like “Peach,” “Who’s Calling’” and “Superglue” standing out to me the most. Right after this concert, I listened to their most recent album, and recognized many of its songs from the concert. The full album was also amazing, and hearing the contrast between the digital and in-person performances made me appreciate them each even more.
Slow Joy had an awesome start to their set; they seriously blew me away. They had great crowd banter, knew how to get everyone moving, and their playing style was awesome. They had a super lively feel and brought an energy that can be very hard for an opener to achieve. I hadn’t listened to much of Slowjoy until recently, but after the concert, I can confidently call myself a big fan of their music. They even played a few unreleased ones they recently worked on, which was super cool. “Wound” was one song I especially enjoyed, which was about dealing with someone they loved leaving them, and their process of coping. Many of their songs were very vulnerable and emotionally eliciting.
Heart Attack Man is a grunge/emo band, and they did amazing as well. Some of their songs reminded me a lot of the band Title Fight. They had great crowd movement and stage presence, and each of the band members played amazing. Some standout tracks from them include “Fake Blood,” ”Freak of Nature,” and “Pitch Black.” Their vocalist’s sound and style caught me off guard at first, but it aged super well throughout their set. They also played some unreleased songs of their own, which was fun to hear.
Phoneboy was definitely my favorite and was the headliner for a reason. Immediately starting their set with their song “Wayside”, they performed above and beyond what I expected.I had only heard their self-titled project before this concert, but after listening to the songs from their most recent LP, Heartbreak Designer, I had to listen to it in full once the concert ended. Songs from it like “Better Than You,” “Wayside,” and “Hung Up” were all included live, and this is another artist I will be delving more into soon.
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