Phoneboy
House of Mahall’s
Lakewood, OH
June 01, 2025
by Robert McCune
It’s Phoneboy’s party, and they’ll bowl if they want to. And they did on a Sunday night at Mahall’s, a bowling alley, bar and concert hall in Lakewood, Ohio.
Setting the mood for a night of frivolous and youthful fun, party hats for everyone – the kind of paper cone hats in a variety of colors and designs that you’d wear to a kid’s birthday – were provided for the fans of the alternative indie rock band out of Hoboken, New Jersey.
Then, the boys in the band laced up some communal bowling shoes, worn by dozens if not more three-hole ball rollers before them, and hit one of the 20 lacquered lanes in the basement of this venue to knock down some pins before it was time to take the stage for their headliner set.
The bday party vibe was honored and perpetuated by opener INOHA, a San Antonio indie “beach-punk” rock band with heavy Hawaiian influences, some of whom wore the provided party hats while leading the crowd in fist-pumping, jumping-in-place, rock-n-roll revelry.
They performed songs off their debut album, “ALOHA INOHA,” which many fans in the crowd are already singing confidently along to and hitting their marks on the call-and-response with the spirited “Seventh Heaven” and the party anthem “Saturday Nights,” among others. The band’s hunt for the “Papaya Man,” another hit single, was so fun that no doubt much of the crowd expected an appearance by a kool-aid-man-like character busting through a wall.
Phoneboy’s recent show was nothing short of a celebration, blending high-energy performances with fan-favorite moments. Bassist Chris Young kicked off the festivities by unwrapping Pokémon cards gifted by fans, adding a playful touch before the band reset for the night’s electrifying set.
Their 20-song performance opened in a deep red glow and rarely let up, only cooling into a sea of blue and floating bubbles for tracks like Heartbreak Designer, the title track of their latest album. The set included almost every song from the new release, Heartbreak Designer, alongside selections from their previous albums—Phoneboy (2021) and Moving Out (2023). One unexpected treat for the older crowd came at the very end: a raucous cover of Lit’s 1999 hit My Own Worst Enemy.
Phoneboy’s five-member lineup brought extra energy with dynamic vocals, as guitarists Ricky Dana and Wyn Barnum traded lyrics at center stage while keyboardist Jordan Torres infused a distinct vocal touch, even climbing a speaker cabinet mid-show to sing down to the crowd. Ricky followed suit, shredding from the same high vantage point.
Among the night’s highlights was the appearance of Red the Bear, the tiny mascot featured on the Heartbreak Designer album cover. Wyn carefully removed the two-inch figurine from its case, lifted it in tribute, then tucked it away again.
As the band hit their supposed final song, Running Out of Time, the audience wasn’t ready to let go. Their cheers brought Phoneboy back for not just one more, but four encore songs, closing out the night on a bonus-layered high.
The show felt like unwrapping gift after gift, only to discover one last surprise waiting behind the couch—the kind that might change the toybox forever.
Robert McCune is a full-time journalist, a part-time photojournalist and an aspiring rock journalist. Follow his journey at every_thing_after_photo on Instagram, and look for the “Every_Thing_After” podcast on Apple and Spotify.
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