Both of us heard about the band for the first time when we were on Warped Tour’s website. We were looking over the lineup for this past year’s date, and Night Riots just happened to stand out to us. Afterwards, once we began actually listening to their music, we realized that they’re actually really great.

The band includes members Travis Hawley (vocals), Nick Fontinakes (guitar), Matt DePauw (guitar), Mikel Van Kranenburg (bass), and Rico Rodriguez (drums).

We weren’t just looking at Warped Tour’s website for no reason. When the tour finally stopped in West Palm Beach on July 4th, Night Riots were one of the first performances of the day. When we arrived, they were already playing, so we didn’t get to watch their entire set. However, we didn’t miss the best parts.

Lead singer Travis Hawley and drummer Rico Rodriguez have a signature bit they often perform at their shows. They both stand in front of a drum, one on each side, like they’re having a drumming duet. They seem completely into what they’re doing too, smiling and flawlessly moving their drumsticks. It’s really entertaining to watch.

Our two favorite songs by the band are “Contagious” and “Oh My Heart.” Night Riots call their genre of music “Halloween pop” and other similar names, while they were classified as indie pop on Warped Tour’s website. Their music videos so far all have an interesting theme to them, and none of them are really similar at all.

When it comes down to it, Night Riots is just a band from California that has a genre that’s hard to explain, and are great at what they do: create music. They haven’t exactly made it “big” yet, but we expect them to one day. They’re too nice of guys, and their music is too catchy for it to not happen. After all, “Contagious” has reached over a million plays on Spotify so far.

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