‍The Tulsa-based CLIFFDIVER–aka your favorite elevator emo pop band–gave a high energy performance at a festival in Buda, Texas this past weekend. The band is currently touring the US alongside Doll Skin, both groups supporting co-headliners Less than Jake and Bowling for Soup. On July 30th, the tour package played Pop Punk’s Not Dead Festival in Buda, Texas. While the Tulsa septet may have failed to beat the Texas heat, they did succeed in bringing the heat, both metaphorically and physically.

A power outage during a live performance would, understandably, shake up any musician, but not CLIFFDIVER. Halfway through their fourth song, which was, fittingly, IKEA Strikes Back, a fuse blew at the indoor stage. Despite the technical difficulty, the band continued on with a composure and air of professionalism that one may not expect from a band so young. The members of the audience turned on their flashlights and lit up the room, all while accompanying vocalists Briana Wright and Joey Duffy throughout the rest of the set. The band continued on, giving Texans a taste of ska with the song New Vegas Bomb, which features a funky solo from saxophone player Dony Nickles, and filling the room with love by closing out the set with the fun yet heartfelt track Gas City, reminding the crowd to gas up their homies.

CLIFFDIVER never fails to get the crowd up and moving. The band’s energy and outward expression of passion onstage makes even those audience members unfamiliar with their music want to get up, dance, and jump. Even with technical difficulties and power outages, which temporarily cut out the a/c inside the venue, the band still succeeded in creating a fun and welcoming environment for everyone at the festival; anyways, who cares about the heat when you’re too busy two-stepping and dancing to the saxophone?

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