Sub-Radio brings a night of inclusion and fun to the Thunderbird Cafe

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Nashville-based duo Doublecamp opened the show at the Thunderbird with an energetic set, encouraging the audience to sing and clap along to almost every song. Their pop/hip-hop inspired vocals and bass-driven sound warmed up the crowd, getting everyone moving and in the mood to dance along. Doublecamp had some fans of their own in the crowd, singing along to all of their music. Those who had never heard of the group were quickly won over, and visited the merch booth after the show to chat, take photos, and support the band.

Sub-Radio has built up a loyal audience online with their fun, catchy, and relatable social media content, most of which appears to have been filmed in their practice space: a basement. Their stage presence is just as high-energy, with endlessly repeatable lyrics and strong vocals backed by tight musical performances. Sub-Radio opened the show with their summer sing-along “Pink Lemonade” prompting singalongs from the first notes. 

Mid-way through the 90-minute set, singer Adam Bradley, who is openly bisexual, discussed the challenges of living in Washington DC and encouraged the crowd to support the trans community in any way they can. He also called for an end to silence, inviting fans to “make anyone who would tear down or scapegoat transgender people the object of your mockery, ridicule and scorn… it’s time to stop screwing around.” He then enlisted the “people of Pittsburgh, go out and be mean to your local bigot tomorrow.” This statement was met with cheers from every member of the audience, before the band moved seamlessly into their song “Cool,” a song about loving and accepting yourself exactly as you are.

The band also teased the release of a new album “in just a few short months” by playing several new songs touching on mental health and curating a brand new singalong to “heaven heaven heaven,” a song Bradley called the upcoming album’s “thesis statement.” He explained that although we may have plenty of nostalgia and wishing for better days of the past, the real joy is finding heaven with who you have right beside you, right now.

Sub-Radio’s show was about music, fun, singing, and dancing to all of the fans favorite songs. But it was also a place for the crowd to come together and be unapologetically themselves, and curating a community of like-minded folks in real life and not just on social media. The band is a beacon of light and hope for those who feel downtrodden, and it’s clear the fans respond to the message. 

​Review/Photo By: ​Aarika MacIntyre