The Linda Lindas are riding the high of a very fruitful career. In 2019, the punk-infused power pop quartet was selected to open for Riot Grrrl pioneers Bikini Kill at their Hollywood Palladium reunion show. Two years later, they performed the legendary “Rebel Girl” in Moxie, a film directed by actress Amy Poehler. Last summer, they hit the road with music giants Green Day, the Smashing Pumpkins, and Rancid on a nationwide tour. These accomplishments (which, by the way, are just a few plucked from a long and impressive resume) have led 14 year old Mila de la Garza, 17 year old Eloise Wong, 18 year old Lucia de la Garza, and 20 year old Bela Salazar to their latest — a refreshingly unapologetic sophomore record titled No Obligation and a headlining tour to celebrate.

On Monday, April 21st, Philadelphia’s Union Transfer buzzed with the excitement of experiencing new songs from the Linda Lindas in person. The venue was packed with fans that spanned age ranges, toddlers, teens, and adults coming together to experience the band’s lively lightheartedness and courageous tenacity all at once. As the beginning of the show drew near, a yellow screen adorned with stars pierced the dark of the room and five words boldly painted its luminance: We rebuild what you destroy. In a blink, Mila, Eloise, Lucia, and Bela emerged with a fervor that showed they were ready to prove that statement true.

They did in an instant with the punch of “No Obligation,” a strong-willed anthem about feeling beholden to nothing but your own authenticity. Eloise let the grit of her vocals free as she leapt up, down, and around with her bass, sending Mila on drums and Lucia and Bela on guitar into a frenzied display of self-assured movement. “Resolution/Revolution” followed, giving Bela the opportunity to unleash her own anger-tinged vocals and call for the world’s need for seemingly insurmountable and overdue change. The crowd chased the raw and impassioned madness of the band around with their eyes, watching as Eloise ran up to Bela to join forces and then to Lucia to do the same.

This camaraderie was a recurring theme for the evening, with each member of the band frequently interacting with one another. At one point, Eloise and Lucia met each other back to back in the center of the stage and playfully pushed each other to see who could knock the other over. In another moment, Bela flashed a smile back at Mila. Watching the band enjoy not just performing, but being in each other’s company, so purely was uplifting in a magical way. Their happiness sprinkled the crowd like pixie dust and inspired even more smiles to light up the room.

“It’s a Monday. Why are you guys here?” Lucia joked a few songs into the set as she included the crowd in their heartwarming interactions. “I skipped school to be here!” someone exclaimed. “Me too,” Lucia grinned back as if they were old friends chatting about the typical happenings of being a teenager. It was then that they shifted gears and reached out to the adults in the room by giving them something special they could relate to — a love for the one and only Talking Heads.

The band performed their cover of “Found a Job” with their free-spirited nature leading the way. Eloise, Lucia, and Bela followed it across the stage, twirling and dancing to the 1978 hit they made their own. It was a spectacular melding of generations, those that knew it singing along and those that didn’t moving to its new wave groove, all made possible by the Linda Lindas.

Lucia took the vocal reins for two fan favorites that followed, the youthful and bubbly “Growing Up” and “Nothing Would Change.” With nods to childlike traditions like whispering while hiding or playing duck, duck, goose, these tracks inspired the less experienced attendees to revel in the joys of being young and the older attendees to transport themselves back to a time that was every bit carefree and fun.

The band took another moment to connect with the members of the audience like peers, discussing school, spring break, and the heaps of homework they would soon be faced with upon their return. Someone caught the band’s attention with a message displayed on their phone and, likely inspired by the band’s hard work and passion for performing, proudly shared their accomplishments in learning new instruments. “Let’s all clap for that,” Lucia supportively cheered.

Bela introduced the next song as one written about her beloved feline. “Sing it loud so Nino can hear you all the way from LA,” Lucia commanded before they both dove into the quick-as-a-cat guitars of “Nino.” The crowd took this direction, and their appreciation for the furry friend they were singing about, to heart. As the band darted around the stage, Nino’s name soared. “I think he heard us,” the band joked again, this time in thanks for everyone’s eager participation.

The end of the set came and not just with a song to say goodbye, but with a speech that gave everyone a heavy dose of gut-punching reality. The band’s final song of the evening, “Racist, Sexist Boy,” was originally written about Mila’s encounter with discrimination. Right before the COVID lockdown was enforced, a classmate approached her and discussed that his dad instructed him to stay away from those of Chinese descent. After Mila shared that she was Chinese, he backed away from her and left her with the weight of having just been on the receiving end of a far too normalized example of bigotry. Before the song began, Eloise made a speech to extend its message and demand protection for all of the communities whose members and rights had recently been targeted. This message fueled their rage as they ripped into the song and snarled fire with the same five words the night began with: We rebuild what you destroy. And with that, everyone was left in the dark to think about what it meant to feel equally infuriated and empowered.

But that wasn’t all for the Linda Lindas. The band had more to express, more specially their gratitude. “It means a lot that we get to play music and it means a lot that you help make that happen,” Lucia said as she gazed out into the crowd with the same admiration the crowd had given the band the entire night. This led them to a three song encore, first performing an ode to their summer 2024 tour buddies with a cover of “When I Come Around” by Green Day before giving everyone a final chance to experience No Obligation live with “All in My Head.”

The energy of the room was right where it needed to be when the Linda Lindas invited Pinkshift, the support for the second half of the tour, to the stage for one last song. Packed with anticipation for the collaboration, the crowd erupted the moment the explosive cover of Bikini Kill’s “Rebel Girl” sounded. The crowd followed along as both bands bounced around the stage, transforming the room into one big wave of emboldened music lovers ready to take on the world’s challenges. It was the perfect way to end the night — a little bit of punk, a whole lot of ferocity, and a reminder that you can do anything with the right people by your side.

The Linda Lindas are the right people to have by your side along with everyone they motivate to support them. They enthusiastically show their fans the same encouragement they receive and provide a space for everyone, regardless of age, to delve wholeheartedly into the live music experience. That kindness, however, mustn’t be mistaken for weakness. Mila, Eloise Wong, Lucia, and Bela are ready to inspire change and barrel down anything that gets in the way of a better future. They’re exactly what we need right now — visionaries that use their fearless words to build a just world for others. And we have them to thank for inspiring a whole new generation of empathetic warriors to do exactly the same.