On April 21st, German electronicore band Electric Callboy brought their TANZNEID World Tour to the Kia Forum in Los Angeles. Boasting a string of sold-out arenas on their biggest tour yet, they have metalcore artists Polaris and Scene Queen along for the ride. Formed in 2010, Electric Callboy consists of co-lead vocalists Kevin Ratajczak and Nico Sallach, lead guitarist Daniel “Danskimo” Haniß, rhythm guitarist/backing vocalist Pascal Schillo, bassist/backing vocalist Daniel Klossek, and drummer Frank Zummo. In 2020, the band underwent a lineup change and began taking a more comedic direction musically, which has really paid off for them. Sometimes referred to as “partycore”, the band is very tongue-in-cheek, satirical, and goofy, which you don’t often see in metal music. They’re known for being trolls, but not in a way that makes fun of the metal community or their audience. With their wigs, fake mustaches, and coordinated outfit changes, they know how to party as well as drop a sick breakdown or EDM beat. Their upcoming seventh studio album, TANZNEID, releases in August.
Opening the show was Hannah Collins, professionally known as Scene Queen, who coined the term “bimbocore” to describe a subgenre of metalcore with feminist themes. She preaches (screams) female empowerment unapologetically, her songs dealing with issues such as objectification, harassment, and misogyny. With bold, explicit lyrics dazzling with pink imagery, she balances the feminine rage flawlessly. She got the show going with brand new single “Manicure,” showing off her new low screams that she’s been working hard on. Going into “Barbie & Ken,” which features Cody Carson of Set It Off, a new intro with Carson was played, where he can’t join Collins on stage because he’s caught in the middle of a bowel movement. Collins instead asked her guitarist, Boy Hero (Daniel Rudd), to be the Ken to her Barbie. Playing a short set of nine songs, Collins successfully got the twerkle pit going, worked the stage, and screamed her heart out with the crowd for her first time at the Forum.
Next up was Australian metalcore band Polaris. The band consists of vocalist Jamie Hails, guitarist Rick Schneider, bassist/vocalist Jake Steinhauser, and drummer Daniel Furnari. For this tour, Ryan Neff of Miss May I is filling in for Steinhauser, and touring guitarist Jesse Crofts joined. Polaris is known for their heavy breakdowns and emotionally charged lyrics, combining clean vocals and intense screams. They also played a short set, but kept the energy high, getting the mosh pit going crazy for their most popular songs “The Remedy,” “Masochist,” and “All of This Is Fleeting.” They finished strong with the headbang-inducing aggressive track “Nightmare,” from their third and most recent studio album, Fatalism.
Finally, the lights went up, and the curtain fell down, revealing Electric Callboy – clad in matching black puffer vests – launching into “TANZNEID,” the title track of their upcoming album. The energy was already getting crazy, with the fans screaming and the band feeding off their adoration. Then, confetti erupts, blanketing the crowd, and the biggest surprise of the night: Deryck Whibley of Sum 41 struts on stage to join Electric Callboy for their version of “Still Waiting.”
It was an incredible moment for everyone, especially Sum 41 fans, as the iconic band played their final show in 2025. It was also a full-circle moment for Electric Callboy, since they released the cover last year, featuring Frank Zummo, Sum 41’s former drummer who has now joined EC full-time. In addition, it was Whibley and Zummo’s first time at the landmark venue, and they both looked elated to be there. It was only the second song of the set, and the crowd was going absolutely wild for Whibley.
They went on to play an incredibly energetic set of hits, including several outfit changes and more confetti and streamers. Zummo did his big drum solo, and afterwards the group popped up in the middle of the pit to perform “Fuckboi” acoustically. Everyone in the arena put their phone lights up for their cover of Cascada’s club classic “Everytime We Touch,” which they finished with a wall of death after walking through the crowd back to the stage.
For their encore, they emerged back on stage with matching space helmets, playing their massive BABYMETAL collaboration “RATATATA,” and “Spaceman.” For the last song, they put on their signature bowl cut wigs and got the crowd going stupid one more time for “We Got The Moves,” their biggest hit. No one wanted the show to be over once they finished, and the band performed the chorus one more time, the audience loud as ever, before saying thank you and goodnight.
GALLERY: Scene Queen, Polaris and Electric Callboy at The Kia Forum in Los Angeles, California (April 21, 2026)
