It was my first time inside The Bodega, and it didn’t take long to clock what kind of venue this…
By K Futur MusicFriday night at Dubrek Studios was a reminder of how alive and loud Derby’s grassroots scene can be when the right bands share a stage. The venue filled with pop punk hooks, hardcore energy and emo intensity as Riot Season, Bury The Scars and headliners Former Glory delivered a stacked lineup that had the crowd moving from the first chord to the final breakdown.
Opening the night, Riot Season wasted no time setting the tone. Their sound leans heavily into classic pop punk DNA, with fast-paced, melody-driven songs that feel straight out of the early 2000s skate-punk playbook. Think the punchy simplicity of early Blink-182 or Green Day, but delivered with the urgency of a band who clearly love playing loud in a packed room. Short, sharp songs kept the energy high and the crowd bouncing from the outset.
Bury The Scars followed with a heavier shift in gears. Their set leaned into alternative rock with a strong punk and hard-rock backbone, bringing thick drop-tuned riffs and headbanging rhythms that filled the room. The guitars came in heavy, the drums hit hard, and the empowered vocals cut through with confidence. It was the kind of set that had heads nodding in the front row and arms folded in appreciation further back, a solid bridge between the pop-punk opener and the emotional weight of the headliner.
Closing the night, Former Glory delivered exactly what the crowd had come for. Their blend of emo and post-hardcore hit with crushing drum grooves, soaring clean vocals and bursts of full-throttle screaming. Catchy riffs intertwined with more technical, mathy moments, while samples added texture between songs. There were clear echoes of bands like Silverstein in the mix, but Former Glory bring their own punch to the formula, balancing melody and aggression in a way that kept the room locked in until the final note.
It was one of those nights that perfectly captured the spirit of Dubrek Studios: three bands, one packed room, and a crowd ready to throw themselves into every chorus and breakdown. If this show proved anything, it’s that Derby’s emo, punk and hardcore scene is still thriving-and still very, very loud.
