From heads of hair whipping through the air to match every beat, to strangers singing and dancing along to their favorite songs, Meet Me @ The Altar brought every ounce of angst and femme-power to their performance in Asbury Park, from the top of the stage all the way to the back of the crowd.
Meet Me @ The Altar, consisting of vocalist Edith Victoria and drummer Ada Juarez, formed back in 2015 with a mission to bring diversity to the alternative scene. The alternative scene is known to spotlight cisgender, straight, white men who aren’t the only ones with something to say. Since the very beginning, MM@TA have shown their love for the pop-punk sound to communities that don’t see a lot of themselves on stage. The two have a strong connection that is evident in their sound. Each smash of the drums aligns perfectly with Victoria’s emotive vocal performances. The band have made their mark and show no signs of stopping anytime soon.
In December, the band’s EP Worried Sick was released under their recently-signed label LAB. Each song holds a lot of weight for the band, with them dealing with a founding member’s exit almost a year ago. Along with other personal experiences, this made the songwriting process a very healing one. Victoria compared writing these songs to gluing “the pieces of my heart back together,” showing the emotional songwriting process firsthand.
MM@TA embarked on their tour for this EP in mid January where Crave was able to capture the entire night at The Wonder Bar.
The show opened with New Jersey’s very own, Pollyanna. Powered by angst, punching guitars, mesmerizing drums and emotionally charged vocals, Pollyanna entrances any crowd that sees them. Following their debut record Slime in 2022, the band returned with their sophomore record Weirdo, released in October 2025. Weirdo is about “feeling like an outcast no matter where you are or who you’re with,” vocalist and guitarist Jill Beckett said in an Instagram post last fall.
Pollyanna started the night with the opening track of Weirdo, “SUPERPOWER,” a track that shows off the band’s love for a gripping guitar riff. Right off the bat, their energy is immediately at a 10. Beckett’s voice filled the entire room. Their screams, mixed with softer higher octave notes, hit perfectly with the sound of the guitars. Bassist Brandon Bolton holds each song together with his skilled riffs along with drummer Dan McCool, who is as entertaining to watch as he is to hear. The room jumped and moshed along to each song, never slowing down.
During their song “Mars,” Beckett hopped off the stage, splitting the crowd in two directions to run and collide together. Once the beginning notes were played, they ran back up on the stage in the explosion of the opening; it was so fun to watch and be a part of. The night closed with one of their leading singles off of Weirdo, “Gravedigger,” a song that speaks on the topic of feeling as if we are fed information to make us believe we are cared for when,in reality, we are misheard and mistreated. These lines hit especially hard due to our world’s current climate. The band gives a gripping performance sure to have left a mark on everyone in the crowd. Pollyanna is a band you do not want to miss seeing live, check out their latest record and keep an eye out for when they will be playing near you!
After Pollyanna, it was time for Meet Me @ The Altar to take the stage. The crowd buzzed from the set that just played; they were all warmed up and ready to sing their favorite songs. The band had given fans a jumpstart by posting the setlist to their socials before the start of the tour, giving those attending plenty of time to learn the words and practice all the moshing skills needed for a Meet Me @ The Altar show. The scene lit red as the band began to play the first song from Worried Sick, “Dead To Me.” Juarez brought in the beat with a drumline-style groove followed by touring guitarist and bassist Emmy Barone and Kaylie Sang bringing in tight riffs to follow alongside Victoria’s vocals, “They painted you as the villain, but I stayed when nobody would.” The crowd jumped along with every word. You don’t see such energy like this very often; it filled every ounce of the 600-capacity room. Each member of the band gave their all to the performance.
The lyrics from the new EP were written as a form of release for Victoria, making performing them even more empowering. Getting to share your art with those who appreciate it and make you feel seen is the most rewarding feeling, and you can tell the entire band felt that way. The band continued the set playing a mix of old and new tracks. Playing fan favorites like, “Now or Never” and, of course, “Hit Like A Girl”.
Meet Me @ The Altar have always made it obvious for those who attend their shows to be their most authentic selves. Whether you want to scream the lyrics at the top of your lungs, mosh until you’re sore in the morning, or crowdsurf until security starts to keep track of how many times you go up, MM@TA welcomes it all. Their most recent tracks have been some of their heaviest to date, naturally creating an even more chaotic (in the best way) crowd. Songs like “Heaven’s Sake” and “Karma” lit the crowd up from start to finish. It was a sea of hair swinging, bass you can feel in your chest and jumping with every down beat. The band even played a cover of “Sweetness” by Jimmy Eat World and “My Own Worst Enemy” by Lit.
“You all know these words so I better hear you singing,” Victoria screamed, in which the crowd did not disappoint. The show continued without a hitch, no energy was left behind as each song was played. One of their last songs was “Garden,” one that the band dedicated to their fans. With lyrics like “I’ll always be right here / When everything’s unclear / Please promise you won’t let go,” the room became sentimental, many pointing right back to the stage as they sang the words to the band in front of them. The show closed out with “Kool,” a track off their 2023 record Past // Present // Future. Everyone in the crowd participated in singing these words, sad to see the show end but so happy to be in the room.
Setlist:
Intro / Dead to Me
Now or Never
Beyond My Control
Hit Like a Girl
May the Odds Be in Your Favor
Mapped Out
Brighter Days (Are Before Us)
Say It (to My Face)
Covers – Sweetness/My Own Worst Enemy
Karma
From the Start
Heaven’s Sake
Straight Up (Needy)
Garden
Kool
Keep up with Meet Me @ The Altar on all their social medias to make sure you don’t miss upcoming releases and tour announcements!
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