Peachy San Diego @ SOMA [2/17/24]: Celebrating SoCal’s Alternative Scene

12:30 pm – Chloe and I hit the road

Peachy San Diego is a celebration of all things SoCal, and fittingly enough, Chloe and I drive through much of it on our journey to the festival. Starting at UCLA, we arrive hours later at SOMA, a venue I’ve frequented in the center of San Diego’s vibrant alternative music scene.

Chloe and I chat about our shared love of Southern California as we sit in its infamous traffic for hours on the I-405. I’m a born-and-raised California girl, and Chloe’s been converted to one after leaving her hometown in Indiana for college. I excitedly point out some of my favorite venues of my high school years as we drive by them, and gawk at my favorite roadside attraction: the San Onofre nuclear boobs.

After all, Nathan Williams (frontman of tonight’s headliner, Wavves) will later say it best:

“San Diego’s the best place in the world. And it’s not even close.”

5:00 pm – Alternative Citizens

After hours of sitting in traffic, Chloe and I sprint into the venue just in time to catch our first band of the night, Alternative Citizens. Immediately, I’m greeted with the thick scent of weed smoke and B.O. wafting from the mosh pit, and I couldn’t be more excited. I shove my way through the crowd as the band of Orange County natives begin their set, highlighting tracks off their newest LP, Born Again. I narrowly avoid being trampled in the pit and smacked by beach balls flying through the air as I capture some shots of the band. 

Closing their set with fan favorite “Suzy Q,” the band welcomes an especially eager fan onstage to sing alongside frontman Zachary John before he triumphantly stage dives back into the pit. As the band exits the stage, I’m left breathless, sweaty, and eager to ask them all about their performance tonight (read our interview here!).

7:00 pm:  Zulu

After a successful interview, Chloe and I make our way back to the side stage, finding it way more packed than we left it. Tonight’s concertgoers have maxed out the 500-person capacity of SOMA’s smaller stage, all packed together to see hardcore punk band Zulu perform. Heavily distorted guitars meshed with lead vocalist Anaiah Lei’s hoarse, screaming vocals culminate in their unique, powerful sound. 

The powerviolence group from LA consists of all Black musicians–a rare sight among today’s top punk bands, despite Black artists playing significant roles in the development of the genre. Common punk values are tied closely to political action and anti-racism, themes also present in Zulu’s lyrics. (They make sure to wish the crowd a happy Black History Month before wrapping up their set.)

7:30 pm: Frankie & The Witch Fingers

Next up on the main stage is Frankie and the Witch Fingers, a psychedelic rock band of Hoosiers-turned-Angelinos, just like Chloe. Everything from the delayed vocals, strobe lighting and trippy visuals, to even the bassist’s neon yellow hair evoke psychedelic imagery, curating their signature brand. The band’s energy is electric; frankly, I’m just impressed as I watch lead singer Dylan Sizemore manage to sing and jump through their song “Futurephobic”, while lead guitarist Josh Menashe flawlessly alternates mid-song between the guitar and synthesizer. 

8:30 pm: Wavves

The first headliner, Wavves, takes the stage. The San Diego rock band is composed of lead singer Nathan Williams, guitarist Alex Gates, bassist Stephen Pope, and drummer Ross Traver. (You might know them from their hit “Nine Is God” from the GTA V soundtrack!)

I find myself truly enjoying their sound, reminiscent of both indie and surf rock, which makes sense by the look of their San Diegoan fans (now, surfer boys and middle-aged dads dominate the audience) as well as their namesake. I also notice that their live performance incorporates more elements of punk rock, as Williams screams into the mic over Gates’s blaring guitar, compared to the cleaner, lighter sound of their studio recordings, but it’s a change I’m excited to hear live.

The band’s energy radiates from the stage, amassing a large, lively crowd that dances and sings along. When a member of the audience shouts “I love you!”, Williams quickly retorts, “I love you, too; let’s get married.” After a fun and energetic set, they close with my favorite track of theirs, “Green Eyes”.

9:30 pm: Destroy Boys

Finally, after a long day of singing and dancing, I summon all my remaining energy for Destroy Boys, tonight’s final headliner (and my personal favorite). The punk rock band hailing all the way from Sacramento is kicking off 2024 with their first performance of the year tonight at SOMA. I find myself giddy with excitement as I watch lead singer Alexia Roditis, singer-guitarist Violet Mayugba, bassist David Orozco, and drummer Narsai Malik take the stage to their song “Fences.”

In true punk fashion, Destroy Boys is never one to shy away from politics. Midway through their set, Roditis leads us all in chanting “Free, free, free Palestine!” before transitioning into “For What,” an impassioned lamentation about the fatal flaws of the U.S. justice system. 

“The systems will not dismantle overnight / It starts in your head /

And it should be followed by action / By fucking action!”

Before saying goodbye for the night, they don’t forget to highlight their two latest releases (along with an unreleased song, teasing an upcoming album). First is “(Shadow) I’m Breaking Down,” a song about, as the name suggests, having a mental breakdown, featuring a verse in Spanish by Roditis as they channel their Argentinian heritage. They follow with “Beg for the Torture,” a frankly horny duet by Roditis and Mayugba that they tell us is about being really mad at your partner.

10:30 pm: on the road again

All partied out, Chloe and I are eager to get off our feet and turn in for the night. We spend the night in my home in Orange County before heading back to UCLA the next morning after our exciting, yet exhausting SoCal expedition. Peachy San Diego reminds me of everything I love about California: its people, its cities, and its diverse, ever-changing music scene at the forefront of the global music industry.

Check out the sounds of Peachy San Diego below!

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