Diva Bleach was first on the bill on Sad Summer Festival’s recent stop in Clearwater, Florida. Regardless, they put on a great show that showcased their strengths as a band quite early in their career. As people made their way into The BayCare Sound, the high-energy trio got the day of music started.

Diva Bleach made their debut in 2021 with their single, “White Noise.” Within a year of their creation, the band already headlined a tour and played the first inaugural Zona Fest and Hawthorne Height’s California is For Lovers Festival. They have recently adopted a pop-rock, Paramore-esque sound, which fit perfectly on this tours’ lineup. In the past, Diva Bleach has toured with indie rock bands Telltale, Sundressed and Young Rising Sons.

They opened the show with their brand new song “We Don’t Talk About It,” released just 6 days before. Lead singer Sydney Roten did forget a few lyrics, but she recovered quickly and laughed it off, which was nice to see. She has a good, alto rocker voice like Avril Lavigne or Hailey Williams and much of their set, along with Roten’s rainbow hair, reminded me of Paramore. The cherry on top is her ability to belt her songs live.

The set carried on with some of their older (released within the last 2 years) songs, “Crawling” and “Beaches,” which are lyrically similar to bands like Microwave or Mom Jeans. It was interesting to see how their latest singles differ in all aspects because they are much more fast-paced and instrument-heavy. However, I would say their “newer” sound fits Sydney’s vocal range more, and fits into this festival a bit better. “Beaches” and “Crawling” have a beach rock vibe and Sydney played bass during these slower tracks, which was great, but would have fit in better on a different festival lineup.

Diva Bleach closed their set with another 2024 release, “Torn in Two.” This was another almost punk-rock track, filled with guitar breaks and call-backs, which got the growing crowd engaged. The themes of female strength and empowerment were clearly highlighted throughout this song and their set. Although they are a band very early in their career, their stage presence and stamina resembled the seasoned professionals who played later on in the evening.

Diva Bleach is on a rapid trajectory and their performance was truly worth showing up to Sad Summer early. Sad Summer Festival resembles Warped Tour, but on a much smaller scale. With only one stage, it is easy to discover great new artists, like Diva Bleach. Diva Bleach is touring across the US with Sad Summer until August 9. Show up early!

Review & Photos by: Emily Tonnessen

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Diva Bleach Opens Sad Summer With A Two-Toned Set