Meet Me @ The Altar Take Over Tampa
By Leo Lobo - January 28, 2026
Meet Me @ The Altar has proven to me that the riot grrrl movement still lives; and on January 23rd, 2026, the girls showed up to bring a fresh breath of life into Crowbar. In this well-loved and sometimes stinky venue in Tampa, some of the best names in music have come through here to make their mark, and with months left to do that, I think Grrls Night ’26 will be something to remember even after everyone’s bruises fade. (I know I still have some.)
Hometown hitters Now In Color, Kitty Kitty Meow Meow (personal fav just because I’m a cat person), and Peace Cult warmed up the pit, and by the time Meet Me @ The Altar (MM@TA) was walking on, everyone was sweaty and ready for the main act — except for several moms I saw close to the stage who had looked terrified since the first crowdsurfer.
Photo by Leo Lobo @Lsquaredpics
I’ve seen the band live before in 2024 when they opened for Cavetown, and I thought I knew what to expect from them, but with some recent tweaks, they had a new show to give me. MM@TA started releasing music in 2015 as a three-piece band, and in 2020 they signed to their first major label and continued to grow popularity online amidst COVID, but things have been shaken up for them a little bit over the last year. No longer with their original label, they signed to a new one in the latter half of 2025 and also announced that the three-piece would now be two, with their guitarist leaving to focus on personal projects. But through all that, in September of last year, they dropped a new EP, and I do have to say while I have enjoyed their past music, this drop definitely has a fresh spin that suits them.
They opened the night off with “Dead to Me,” a new one off of Worried Sick, and it set the tone for their set. But they have not forgotten where they came from and played many fan favorites like “Say It (To My Face)” and “Hit Like a Girl.” Before that song, lead singer Edith Victoria screamed into the mic that it was time to open the pit up for the girls and started the song off with “Ladies, no gentlemen!” And although I saw a few more gentlemen than I wanted running into the pit, I have never seen such a positive, energetic mosh at a show before.
Photo by Leo Lobo @Lsquaredpics
Photo by Leo Lobo @Lsquaredpics
Photo by Leo Lobo @Lsquaredpics
I was standing on the edge of it all, and I had several people go to protect me and my camera from the madness of it all — when usually I feel like I’m shoved to the wolves. The whole night was filled with the room uplifting each other, figuratively and literally, as I don’t think I’ve seen that many crowd surfers at a show since Warped Tour. Everyone was carrying each other and encouraging others to get up there. Even when the pride flags fell from the movement inside the venue, that was another opportunity to raise them up and carry them around.
The band ended it out with some covers of classic pop-punk songs and then with a few songs off of the new release, and it really showed me where they are taking their sound and direction.
Although MM@TA has had some changes over the last year, they are back better than ever for their North American tour, with a new sound and energy that had the room moving like I’ve never seen before. The show felt like seeing the kid on the team who had been benched for a little too long get put back on the field and give everyone a run for their money. And maybe it’s the sports kid in me talking, but I can’t wait to see them make it in the hall of fame.
