A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…well it wasn't that far away. It was just at Minibar in Midtown. But it was forever ago. So let's jot down a few notes before I lose the plot.

Deco Auto opened the show. They're new. Just kidding they've been around for fifteen years. The band always pops up in strange places playing music that isn't strange at all. It's power-pop and also pop-punk and maybe, lately anyway, a little Brit pop too. Frontman Steven Garcia is an anglophile. The quartet's lineup has been solid for a few years now: Garcia's vocals and guitar, Tracy Flowers' vocals, Marc Bollinger's bass, and Keith Howell's drums. The foursome's half-hour set moved quickly. Has someone been rehearsing? The ten-song set included favorites like "Turnaround" and "Mercy Kind" as well as a host of very new tunes. All of them solid compositions with big hooks delivered with plenty of energy. Both Garcia and Flowers offered lead vocals – sometimes overlapping, often each taking command of an entire song. Flowers pogoed as she sang her leads and danced during the breaks. Garcia thrashed his glasses off his head while sawing through power chords and leaned into melodic solos. It was the tightest set I'd seen from the group in years – well, except for the cover of "United States of Whatever." That one was sloppy. But a little chaos is probably a requirement for any number originally performed by a sock puppet.

Niner followed promptly. This was only the local trio's second outing and lasted only six songs. The act was pop-punk and further veered towards the punk of Fat Wreck bands. A cover of Blink-182's "Josie" seemed natural. As did the banter of the vocalist/guitarist – he had the audience doing his bidding from the moment he stepped on stage. His guitar tone, however, was an unholy abomination. Just the wrong fit. The drummer was similarly mismatched, actively and enthusiastically playing his kit on turbo throughout, and removing all the air from the band's compositions. It'll take a while to get the sound right, so I'll reserve my judgement until the next time around. Keep your ears peeled for this threesome and let's see where the sequel goes.

Then it was Death by Science Fiction. I'd seen the act before, but the lineup has shifted since then, improvements were made, making this the enhanced special edition version of the band. Musically, the quintet remained fully committed to emo-pop revivalism, delivering nine over-the-top, cloying songs, each building to a big emotional chorus with the appropriate vocal affectations. Five cuts came from the group's 2025 album Don't Panic, including a standout written about student loan debt ("Student Loaner"). In that one, our debtor sang "Wait, I owe how much?" which elicited a shout of "A lot!" from elsewhere on stage. So joyfully corny. Alongside the original there were two canonical covers: Yellowcard's "Awakening" and Brand New's "Seventy Times 7." Vocalist Jimmy Hart mentioned that maybe they shouldn't play the latter, referring to the admissions of sexual misconduct from Brand New's frontman Jesse Lacey without calling them out specifically. It seems nostalgia beats all in that regard. Or maybe this lot just doesn't cast stones. The guys do have a wholesome, teen worship band vibe. Between numbers, there was plenty of banter from guitarist/vocalist Matt Jack and Hart – some of it was directed to the room packed with friendly faces, some only for the benefit of the musicians on stage. Hart was active, pacing the crowded stage, jumping for emphasis, and further elevating Death by SciFi's solid show. When it was over, the audience hollered for more and then stayed to visit with the musicians, but I ducked out when the credits started to roll.