Microwave in Providence

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 + Providence

Microwave's been through Providence before. They played The Strand Ballroom & Theatre on June 1, 2025, running through ten songs including 'Mirrors.' That's the kind of venue that suits them—mid-sized room, decent sound, room to move around. They know the way back.

Microwave in Providence News

• More people work at Amazon's Johnston facility than live on Block Island. Here's a look inside. The Providence Journal · Jul 3, 2025
• Take a sneak peek inside Rhode Island’s new state health laboratories The Providence Journal · Jul 1, 2025
• Mayday Parade Taps Microwave, Grayscale, Like Roses for Spring Tour idobi · Jan 14, 2025
• America's oldest shopping mall has been turned into beautiful micro-apartments — take a look inside Business Insider · Oct 10, 2016
• The Wonder Years announce tour with letlive. and Microwave BrooklynVegan · Jan 12, 2016

Live Music in Providence

Providence has a solid underground rock scene that actually pays attention to bands like Microwave. There's The Strand, which hosts the kind of indie and emo-adjacent stuff that doesn't need to be watered down. The city's small enough that word travels fast when a decent band comes through, and big enough that people actually show up. It's not trying too hard.

Providence road trip to see Microwave?

Stay in College Hill, where you can actually walk around without feeling like you're in a dead zone—the neighborhood has real restaurants and bars. Eat at Chez Pascal or Oberlin for something serious. Before the show, spend an afternoon at the RISD Museum, which is legitimately excellent and free if you're a student or cheap enough if you're not. The museum's collection is small enough to actually process in a couple hours, which beats most cities. Walk down Benefit Street afterward. It's the kind of place that reminds you why people actually used to settle in New England intentionally.