I don’t remember how I first came across Meet Me @ The Altar, but my first introduction was by way of their 2021 breakout track “Hit Like A Girl”. I’m no pop-punk connoisseur, but I know a good song when I hear one and that track has everything going for it… the vocals, musicianship, the melody/hooks, and not to mention that crunchy breakdown. What I didn’t know about this band at the time is that its members (Edith Johnson, Téa Campbell, and Ada Juarez) are all young women. Here they are playing these super technical instrumental parts (those drums, btw) and I’m like “who do these girls think they are putting the rest of the genre to shame?” And I mean that literally, since the mainstream archetype of the current revival is a mediocre dude who probably just learned to play his first power chord in 2020. I kid (kind of). Oh, and did I mention that the members of MMATA are all women of color? Again, I’m no pop-punk ethnomusicologist, but I know the genre has never been known for its diversity. With current bands like MMATA, Magnolia Park, Pinkshift, and KennyHoopla, we appear to be in the midst of a pop-punk renaissance and I’m all about it.
Currently on tour with Knuckle Puck, Hot Mulligan, and Anxious, I was able to catch MMATA for their show at the TLA in Philly on Wednesday, March 9th. For their live setup, the trio is joined by a bassist and additional guitarist (both women) and they sounded amazing – singer Edith Johnson’s powerful vocals sparkled while she also managed to be a dynamic and nonstop stage presence (if you couldn’t tell from the photos). Mid-way through their relatively short set, they brought the crowd way back with a medley of covers that even included a wtf Limp Bizkit moment. They closed out their set with “Garden”, which ensued in crowd surfing that was made possible by the packed and exuberant audience.
In other MMATA news, they’ve just released their Model Citizen acoustic EP (via their label Fueled By Ramen). Stripped down, you realize just how good these songs are with the band’s songwriting and vocals taking center stage. They’re also set to release their full length debut LP later this year and will be hitting the festival circuit this summer. You can see all of their upcoming tour dates here.
Check out the MMATA’s setlist below, as well as their lyric video for “Hit Like A Girl”. Keep scrolling to see more photos from the show including opener Anxious.
Meet Me @ The Altar Setlist (3/9/2022):
– May the Odds Be in Your Favor
– Mapped Out
– Hit Like A Girl
– Now Or Never
– Medley: Sweetness / My Friends Over You / Break Stuff / My Own Worst Enemy
– Feel A Thing
– Garden
