Microwave in Columbus

About Microwave

Microwave is an emo band from Poughkeepsie that treats anxiety like it's a subject worth getting angry about. They came up in the mid-2010s streaming era without much traditional label push, just building a quiet cult following through songs that balance vulnerable lyrics with the kind of guitar work that makes your stomach hurt. Their earlier records, especially "Much Love" and "It's Not About the Guitar," established them as the kind of band that could make a song about feeling trapped sound genuinely devastating. They're not reinventing emo, but they're not trying to. They're just very good at the specific thing they do: introspective songs that still hit hard, delivered with enough restraint that the heavy moments land differently. If you've found yourself rewatching their older music videos or relating to songs about overthinking, you're exactly who this band is for.

Known for Senators, Stressful, Dog Leather, Death Wish, The Most Beautiful Thing

Microwave + Columbus

Microwave's last Columbus stop was June 3, 2024 at The King of Clubs, where they ran through 20 songs including "Concertito in G Major." The band has maintained a presence in the city over the years, tapping into Columbus's appetite for guitar-driven indie rock and experimental pop.

Microwave in Columbus News

• Ernst Weber Britannica · Feb 11, 2026
• Microwave The Columbus Dispatch · Dec 29, 2025
• Microwave The Columbus Dispatch · Dec 12, 2025
• Microwave announce 'Much Love' anniversary tour w/ Anthony Green, Hunny, Into It. Over It., more BrooklynVegan · Dec 9, 2025
• Microwave Celebrates A Decade Of Much Love With Anniversary Shows idobi · Dec 9, 2025

Live Music in Columbus

Columbus has quietly built a solid indie rock infrastructure over the past decade. The city supports a mix of DIY venues and mid-sized clubs that attract touring acts in Microwave's wheelhouse—guitar-heavy, genre-bending bands that don't fit neatly into traditional categories. Local crowds here tend to be engaged and open to artists doing something slightly left of center.

Columbus road trip to see Microwave?

Stay in German Village, where the restored brick townhouses and tree-lined streets feel like an actual neighborhood rather than a tourist zone. Dinner at Harvest Bistro on High Street for refined American food done without fuss. Spend the afternoon at the Columbus Museum of Art, then walk through the Short North corridor—the gallery district has real energy without feeling manufactured. Catch the show at Nationwide Arena, then grab drinks at Drinkery in German Village for something low-key.