Microwave in Richmond

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 + Richmond

Microwave's been threading the needle between Richmond's DIY ethos and broader indie rock currents for a while now. They last hit The Canal Club in November 2024, running through 19 songs including "Let's Start Degeneracy." The band clearly understands what makes this room work—intimate but purposeful.

Microwave in Richmond News

• Hazmat crews respond to VCU after beaker in microwave causes chemical spill; public asked to avoid area WTVR.com · Jun 24, 2025
• Richmond artist doesn’t talk much but his paintings are speaking to the art world Richmondside · Feb 14, 2025
• Microwave announce fall tour with Prince Daddy & the Hyena, Just Friends and Ben Quad BrooklynVegan · Jul 16, 2024
• Remembering the Richmond Hill explosion 10 years later WTHR · Nov 10, 2022
• The Retaking Of Richmond Hill Indianapolis Monthly · Nov 6, 2022

Live Music in Richmond

Richmond's got a real soft spot for the kind of guitar-driven indie rock that Microwave does. The city's always supported bands that sit somewhere between bedroom introspection and live intensity, whether that's at The Canal Club or the smaller DIY spaces scattered around Scott's Addition. There's enough of an audience here for bands with actual songwriting chops, which matters.

Richmond road trip to see Microwave?

Stay in the Fan District, Richmond's most elegant neighborhood, where tree-lined streets and historic brownstones offer genuine character. Book a table at Mama J's or Edo's Squid, both understated and excellent. Spend your non-show hours at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture or wandering Maymont Park's formal gardens and James River views. The James River itself is worth a walk along Belle Isle. Post-show, grab drinks at The Bogart, a solid cocktail bar in a historic building near The National venue.