By Kyle Brown
Edited by Erica McNatt
Frankie’s Toledo is a bar and music venue that has had its ups and downs over the last few years. Since COVID-19, the venue downsized the amount of performances, closed for a short time, found new ownership, and opened very early in 2024, allowing music and entertainment back into the east Toledo area. If you live in the Toledo area and love the music bar scene, Frankie’s has been one of the stops to go to.
Plush, a hard hitting rock band of four females, found themselves a fun little hole in the wall venue as part of their first-ever headlining tour. The venue was also sold out. Plush brought along Reject the Silence, The Bites, and Toledo’s own Strange Generation.
Performing first was Strange Generation. Formed in June of 2022, the rock quartet certainly found themselves a following in just two years. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing them a few times, as they opened up or played with for a few bands in the area when I was photographing a different band. Band members Jaran (Drums), Sebastian (Bass), Nikki (Vocals), and Brad (Guitar) all had a great stage presentation. Song after song, the crowd cheered and applauded and got the night started off right. Strange Generation will be releasing a new song on June 14th, and they ended their set with it. Be sure to check it out when it releases, and keep an eye out for the other soon-to-be-released music later this year.
Reject The Silence came on stage next and brought high-intensity metal music to the stage. The four-piece band brought the same energy as Strange Generation and then some. The band is no stranger to playing at Frankie’s and was super stoked to be back, as the lead vocalist said, “You guys packed the house, on a Tuesday night. What is going on here?! Thank you all, and for those not here, you suck!” Through hard-hitting drums and heavy guitar riffs, Reject The Silence’s short set seemed too short. Audience members were left wanting more, and I was one of them.
The Bites, a long-haired, self-proclaimed “pretty boy” rock band from Hollywood, California, took the stage next. The in-your-face band easily had the most energetic set of the night. The Bites began their set with a bunch of jokes and then went into a song about how dirty their hometown of Hollywood really is. “The best thing to happen to rock and roll since sex and drugs” is the band’s motto, and that isn’t an understatement. Each member of the band, including the drummer, had something about them that made it hard to look away. From the on-stage antics to the instrumental solos and song lyrics, there wasn’t a single thing I did not like about the set. Plush really did a great job finding these hidden gems of musical artists.
At 9:30pm, it was finally time for Plush to take the stage. An intro song came on, which was none other than “Plush” by Stone Temple Pilots. Nice touch, Plush. The one thing that was very evident, and each band mentioned it, was how hot it was in the venue. Every band made a comment about sweating it out on stage. Plush was no different. One song in and all four women had beads of sweat on their foreheads.
A technical difficulty occurred near the middle of the set where the soundboard went out. I happened to be right at the soundboard and saw it all go down. The lights stopped changing, and unfortunately, the only way to fix it was to restart the entire system. To my delight, however, Plush never skipped a beat. The band kept playing and singing right through the stressful 10 or so seconds. Through a few boos that turned into cheers, everything went on as if nothing happened. The professionalism Plush showed was a welcomed sight.
Plush is fronted by singer, songwriter, and guitarist Moriah Formica. The other members include lead guitarist Bella Perron, bassist Ashley Suppa, and drummer Faith Powell. Formica’s voice cuts through a crowd like a knife cuts through butter, which was really was showcased with her version of Barracuda by Heart. I am one who is really hard on covers of such songs. In my opinion, there are only a select few people who can sing songs of that caliber and ace it; Formica is one of those people. Her voice matches the voice needed to slice and carve out the lyrics of that song. Her bandmates also match the sound I feel is needed. That song provided the loudest and longest applause of the night.
On a stage that was super tiny, about 15 feet across and 20 feet deep, Perron and Suppa made the most of it. The guitarists were entertainment in their own right. Keeping the crowd in it with clapping, spinning around, and smiling, it is no wonder how these women are getting the attention they deserve.
With a song like “Tidal Wave,” the band was able to just play and showcase their musical talents without vocals. All four women just let their skills take the forefront and play a song that let them jam out with huge guitar riffs and heavy drums.
Plush really showcased why they are deserving of this tour. Songs like “Champion,” “Left Behind,” “Barracuda,” and “Run” made you want to keep listening, keep watching, and believe that this band is going places rather quickly. So far the band has opened for the likes of Disturbed, Kiss, Alice In Chains, Evanescence, Daughtry, Slash featuring Myles Kennedy, and The Conspirators. The band has also made appearances at Welcome to Rockville, Louder Than Life, Rocklahoma, and more. Find The Beautiful, an EP that features six songs, five original and one cover, was released this year. Definitely go give it a listen.
Enjoy some images of the band below:
