SANDBOX @ MIAMI BEACH, 1.26.24

Article written by: Kiara Velez; Photos by Sarah Manza

January 26th, 2024, the Sandbox Stage hosted ‘Freaky Friday’, a recurring event that brings together the local musicians of Miami for a night of wild music. A large arrangement of local artists included ‘Blood Orchid’, ‘Mak’, ‘Hadee’, ‘JLG’, and

‘Frogs Show Mercy’,

sending fans into excitement as they delivered onto the night. A projector cast psychedelic neon lights upon the ripped posted backdrop of the stage. The ‘Sandbox’ in Miami is one of the most popular local venues in the scene, featuring an outside patio that was filled with a community of vendors, and bands promoting their merch. As the artists unloaded for the night to begin, you could feel the warmth in the room as people grew closer and closer, waiting with anticipation for the music to consume them.

The DJ ‘Blood Orchid’ kicked off the night dressed in a red robe and devil horns, entrancing the audience with his electronic rock and appealing synth tones from his guitar and MPC live drum machine. Founded in 2019, ‘Blood Orchid’ aims to deconstruct pulsing beats, as he sings with a gloomy, low voice over his recordings. The stage quickly became surrounded by visual effects and deep vocaloid strains, with ‘Doomy-gloomy’ music sounding similar to ‘Joy Division’. ‘Niko’, the face of the act, utilizes ever-changing time signatures and DJ sampling to keep us hooked on his presence. The intense guitar solos followed by in-time live remixes of sounds presented both a modern and EDM aspect to the set. As flashing lights struck your eyesight and demonic undertones overtook your ears, groups swayed and shook to the technological crash. ‘Niko’ is currently developing a visual performance piece to bring to new venues, with hand-illustrated animations to accompany his gothic noise. While interviewing him, he tells of his inspiration for sound, and how he has been a visual artist since childhood, finally having the opportunity to combine it with his music. This is a set I hadn’t experienced before, but after this experience, I know that I along with other new fans will continue to follow the wonders of ‘Blood Orchid’.

The Tampa-based band ‘MAK’ took the stage next, while fog continued to dominate the room. Lead singer Ian Makrianes’ guitar reverberated an indie sound that emanated joyful energy from the audience, and meanwhile, brother Aiden Makrianes’ was on bass guitar, which created a compelling music dynamic as they bounced on and off each other on stage. In a clouded room of hot steam, this band's instruments fueled the fire to this amazing event as the audience grew more in anticipation. Jumping bodies followed the lead of the musicians, as they jammed out with their rock-n-roll influencing sounds similar to those of ‘Queens of the Stone Age’ and ‘The Clash’. They traveled hours just for this event, as this was their debut in the South Florida music scene, leaving strong imprints on the minds of people who are now new fans. As a following act to ‘Blood Orchid’, ‘MAK’ expanded on the growth of technical sounds, showcasing a wide display of pedal boards at their feet enhancing the delayed notes on their strings. The drumming was kept upbeat as their echoing microphone sang ‘love songs for the generation’ in their indie tonality. ‘MAK’ is currently working on recording a new single which will be released later in the year.

‘Hadee’ followed up on stage, and led a crushing and loud performance that reigned over the Miami scene, accompanied by a heated voice. With lighting of pink and purple hues illuminating the stage, his presence and charisma called out to the crowded room, and he pointed to the audience and led the people of “Freaky Friday” into a frenzy of theatrics and head-banging. The backing guitar and drums elevated the lyrics with their metal-sounding tone, while fans screamed along the lyrics to their newly released singles. The singer’s eyes were outlined with black liner, which highlighted his very expressive emotions, while the rest of the band followed the aesthetic. As lead guitarist ‘Tristan’, swung his arms around, you could feel the power emanating from the band as they riffed on lines and the lights flickered. Lead singer ‘Hadee’ is to be thanked for connecting many of the local musicians from the scene to an environment where they can feel appreciated. It was a truly captivating performance filled to the brim with pure energy, leaving fans without the ability to contain themselves with excitement for new songs and projects to come.

After ‘Hadee’ performed, ‘JLG’, an iconic band in the scene, was up next. Right away, the mosh pit was opened for people to dance freely as the band began to play unreleased music. Slung out in a suit jacket with throbbing hips, ‘JLG’ immediately held the audience’s attention. Standing on top of amps throwing a brown

paper bag atop his head, lead singer and performer Jordan attracted fans with his pounding influence of pure energy emitted from him. Friends in the pit moved their bodies in a figure of expression in which they simply couldn’t contain themselves through the influence of their dreamy pop sound. With a sound inspired by electronica and ‘new-wave punk’, audiences were touched and moved to dance through their emotional and whimsical lyricism. The fanbase continues to grow for ‘JLG’, and the South Florida music scene will continue to rush to their shows for a guarantee of good times and sensual rhythms. 

Closing out the night was ‘Frogs Show Mercy’, a band who considers themselves as Southeast emo, while also featuring slow, psychedelic dream pop aesthetics with their words of heartbreak and relinquishment swirling in listeners' minds. An ambiance of ‘cool’ hovered over the venue like the shining light fractals above our heads, as the audience swayed while percussion reverberated through the crowd. With the band’s new release ‘Pavement Record’, you can feel the band's drive for their passion as they have been touring several cities in Florida. ‘Frogs Show Mercy’ released their first single ‘Hereditary’ in 2021, and since then have been working to attract many new audiences to their unique sounds. Band members turned and leaned into their instruments, conducting a powerful ending to the night of ‘Freaky Friday’ in Miami. 

‘Freaky Friday’ at the Sandbox in Miami was a crazed experience with a stunning lineup, filled with a collision of distinctive sounds from the local bands. It held moments of dancing joy and feeling for enthusiasts and friends who traveled far into the night. Audience members had trickled in as groups and created a warm room which grew while the music took flight. The Miami music scene always holds importance in showcasing its local art and creativity, and it’s always wonderful to see so much of that was brought and expressed in one special place.