NOTE: All photos are copyright of Howard Shiau Photography 2025
The Linda Linda’s exploded onto the scene in 2021 when their song “Racist Sexist Boy”, written about a…well, you know…who said something to drummer Mila de la Garza (who was 10 at the time), went viral. Formed in 2018 in LA, this band of teenagers include guitarist Bela Salazar (19), bassist Eloise Wong (16), guitarist Lucia de la Garza (17), and drummer Mila de la Garza (13). That song got them noticed as they were subsequently signed to Epitaph Records, appeared on various late night shows, released their debut studio album “Growing Up”, and toured as both a headliner and support for such acts as Japanese Breakfast and Paramore!! This year, they even opened the show for The Rolling Stones at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood! Crazy couple of years! Currently they are on tour with Green Day, the Smashing Pumpkins, and Rancid but they’re still finding time to play several headlining shows during the tour. One such show was at Electric City in Buffalo on July 31st, one night before they were to play at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.
The audience at Electric City this night included a number of tweens, eager to see their favorite band. But first up were Ratas en Zelo (translated to Rats in Heat?!?!). Just the name peaked my interest. As the four ladies took the stage, each wearing headbands sporting “rat ears”, and they started to rock out, my jaw dropped. Punk band? Check! All lyrics in Spanish? Check! Lead instrument is an accordion?!?! CHECK!! Seems this was an “accordion punk” band? What a wonderful surprise! Their energy was unstoppable and the normal “hey hey hey!” you hear from punk bands was replaced by the “Eek, eek, eek!” of the rats! And I couldn’t stop laughing at “Cheesus”, a song about the hypocrisy of organized religions. “Cheesus wants to save you and you and you and you!! For just $49.99!!” Yes, that’s almost the only thing the whole set that was in English. It was a fun set and the crowd even asked for an encore, with the band obliging to play just one more song.
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If you needed to be reminded of how young the Linda Linda’s are, they opened their set with the title track from their debut record “Growing Up”. Lucia and Eloise were bouncing around the stage so much that it was hard to track them. Ah to be young and energetic! The crowd was in great spirits as well, dancing and/or singing along to everything! Besides playing almost every song from “Growing Up”, they also played many new songs from their upcoming studio album “No Obligation”, which will arrive on October 11th. The new music keeps to their punk roots but also injects some pop vibes, especially the first single “All In My Head”. It’s funny that their set includes TWO songs about dogs. Not quite sure that’s punk but then again, it’s pretty punk to write about what you want and not care about what other people think! They closed out their regular set with “Racist Sexist Boy”, with the crowd singing along. The encore consisted of “All In My Head” and their classic cover of Bikini Kill’s “Rebel Girl”! If I closed my eyes, I would swear that was Kathleen Hanna singing and not Eloise! The band stuck around afterwards to talk to families, take pictures with their young fans, and sign autographs. This is how you set an example for the next generation of punks, musicians, or just music fans. I know I’m impressed. Best of luck to the band as they make their way across the country with Green Day. Who knows? Perhaps we’ll catch them at one of those stops!
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