Ax and the Hatchetmen and Hotel Fiction at Florida State University

Ax and the Hatchetmen are an Indie/Surf Rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. Fronted by vocalist and guitarist Axel Ellis, this six piece musical sensation has had much success in their career with their top songs sitting above 22 million streams on Spotify. They’re currently in the middle of their “Way Too Late” tour which started mid November of 2024 and will continue into late February. Their show on January 29th took place at Florida State University’s on-campus music venue, “Club Downunder,” and were joined by Hotel Fiction as their opener. Hotel Fiction is an indie rock (but critic proclaimed “genre-fluid”) band from Athens, Georgia. 

Hotel Fiction was a great choice for an opener. Their music and performance style really complimented Ax and the Hatchetmen and the overall ambiance of the night. They performed a set full of their original music and did an amazing job of keeping the crowd engaged and on their feet.

Headlining the show, Ax and the Hatchetmen delivered a truly captivating and entertaining performance featuring mostly their original music and a fantastic cover of “Everybody Talks” by Neon Trees. As one of my favorite bands, it was a crazy experience seeing them live for the first time. During their set they played some songs that are brand new to their discography: “Lucy” and “7 Times 9.” Their latest release, “Stay // Honestly,” was a hit amongst the crowd, as it featured alternating guitar and horn section solos. Their song “Where tf Did I Park My Car” released in 2024 proved to be a crowd favorite. I was truly impressed by their versatility and control they had over the audience. Over the course of their set they incorporated technically challenging trumpet and saxophone solos, a couple slower ballads, and then managed to open up a mosh pit– unprompted and completely crowd led. After their set, all of the band members stayed to sign merch and interact with fans, which added even more positive vibes to the overall atmosphere of the concert.

After attending this concert, I can confidently say that I highly recommend listening to both bands’ releases. I personally love Hotel Fiction’s latest album “Staring at the Sun,” and Ax and the Hatchetmen’s 2019 single “Peach Trees.” Ax and the Hatchetmen has a month left of tour dates… go check them out if they’re coming to a city near you!

Check out the full photo gallery here.