Microwave in Philadelphia

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 + Philadelphia

Microwave last touched down at The Fillmore Philadelphia on May 31, 2025, running through ten songs including 'Mirrors.' They've got a solid enough track record here to keep coming back, which is the kind of thing that happens when you make the sort of guitar-driven indie rock that actually lands with people.

Microwave in Philadelphia News

• Foster mom left 3 kids alone in bathtub to get her food, leading 1-year-old to die: Police Law and Crime News · Feb 4, 2026
• 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
• New York woman convicted of using microwave ovens to smuggle guns she bought in Philadelphia 6abc Philadelphia · May 5, 2025
• Show Review: The Menzingers, Microwave, and More at Franklin Music Hall in Philadelphia, PA New Noise Magazine · Nov 22, 2023

Live Music in Philadelphia

Philadelphia's got that particular strain of indie rock DNA that bands like Microwave slot into pretty naturally. There's an undercurrent of math rock and post-punk influence running through the city's guitar scene that pairs well with the kind of tightly wound, emotionally direct songwriting Microwave does. Venues like The Fillmore keep the pipeline flowing for bands doing serious guitar work without the irony.

Philadelphia road trip to see Microwave?

Stay in Rittenhouse Square, where you can walk to dinner at Vetri, the restaurant that actually deserves its reputation. Spend your afternoon at the Barnes Foundation—it's genuinely world-class, even if you're not typically a museum person. Walk through Old City, grab coffee at Little Lion, wander through galleries that don't feel like they're trying too hard. If you have time before the show, check out what's playing at The Fillmore or Johnny Brenda's, venues that consistently book solid acts. The neighborhood around the venue is worth exploring on foot.