Plush may not be entirely familiar to a lot of rock fans, though they have been around a few years and had commercial success. 

All four members of the band are under the age of 25, so they are still establishing their place in the music industry. 

With a high-profile tour opening for a couple of the biggest rock bands in the world freshly in the rear-view mirror, Plush are now on a headlining tour of their own, stopping at Piere’s on Friday, Aug. 9, to show us how the future of rock radio may sound.

Voice to reckon with

Plush is fronted by Moriah Formica, a powerhouse singer and contestant on NBC’s talent show The Voice in 2017. 

At just 16 years old, she impressed The Voice judges enough with her version of Heart’s “Crazy On You” that all four of them turned their chairs around, leading to a battle to get her on their team. Though she got eliminated before the live shows began, the experience solidified what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. 

“The Voice was a monumental experience and a very important time for me,” Formica said in a recent Whatzup interview. “I was 16 at the time, so I really didn’t know much of anything. I gained a lot of new skills and a lot of confidence and I left that show a lot surer about my identity as an artist and how I wanted to move forward. It was an amazing opportunity to have and, in a lot of ways, it kind of kickstarted where I am now.”

Though she likely could have established herself as a solo artist given the huge exposure she received from the show, Formica said she always wanted to be in a band. She decided to form one during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

While most musicians were hunkered down, waiting out the worldwide shutdown, Formica was on social media, getting the word out about her new group. 

“COVID was totally a blessing and a curse,” she said. “It was a curse for the obvious reasons and it changed the world, but there were blessings in it for us because we had the time to sit down and talk and come up with a game plan for whenever live music was going to be back on the scene or for whenever the world was going to be able to function again. 

“Nobody could really do anything at the time, so they were at home on social media watching videos. It really gave us the time and the calmness to work on music and get people to notice us.”

Turning heads

Alongside guitarist Bella Perron, bassist Ashley Suppa, and drummer Faith Powell, Plush’s debut album featured the Billboard Top 40 singles “Hate” and “Better Off Alone.” 

They generated enough industry buzz to allow them to hop on tours and one-off shows opening for the likes of Kiss, Alice in Chains, Evanescence, and Daughtry. They also played a few big festivals. 

Now touring behind their six-song EP, Find the Beautiful, Plush just returned home from supporting Disturbed and Falling in Reverse on an arena tour. 

Find the Beautiful boasts a cover of Heart’s “Barracuda,” drawing further comparisons of Formica’s voice to that of Heart’s Ann Wilson. The EP also has five new songs, including the hit single “Left Behind.” 

“It seems to have been very well-received amongst the fans,” Formica said of the EP. “I’m very proud of it, and it is fun to be able to play the new material live and build a longer set as well.”

While opening for the likes of Disturbed and Falling in Reverse can be a challenge, Formica said she and the band faced it head-on and were pleasantly surprised by the reception they received most nights. 

“When you’re the opening band, you never know how you’re going to be received, especially being different, music-wise, from the other bands. But their fan bases were super-diverse, and even though we went on super-early most nights, we were taken aback each night seeing the amount of people that showed up for our set. They could have easily skipped us and came later, but they wanted to see us, too.”

‘Rock is not dead’

The all-female lineup has sometimes brought about unique challenges as some fans have predispositions of what they should look and sound like. Or they have preconceived notions of the extent of their talent.

However, Formica is thankful there have been so many women ahead of Plush that have paved the way, allowing them to be judged by the music alone. 

The band counts Lzzy Hale of Halestorm and Amy Lee of Evanescence as artists that have helped change the image of women in rock, as well as Nita Strauss, Joan Jett, and Lita Ford. 

“Something we notice sometimes is that there is some skepticism about us or that we are not being taken very seriously because we are female and young,” Formica said. “But we are so grateful to the women in rock that have paved the path for us and went through those things that don’t seem to happen as much now, so we can do what we love.”

Plush are hoping that, in time, they will become role models themselves. 

The band writes music they believe fans can relate to, helping deal with life’s challenges and resonating long after the music stops, furthering their mission of “bringing rock to the forefront of the music industry.” 

“It is important to us to give representation to our generation,” Formica said. “We want to get out there as much as we can and show young kids that rock is alive and well, and you can go out there and do this too, if you want.

“Rock is not dead by any means and it won’t be anytime soon. Look at us. We are able to do what we love.”

Bang for your buck

Expect a special two-stage set up at Piere’s on show day, designed to provide maximum music for ticket holders. 

Six opening bands are booked, including Remember Me, Bulletproof, As the Embers Burn, PolyCrisis, Bombshell, and Before My Eyes. 

The all-ages show kicks off at 6:30 p.m. and Formica promises you will have fun. 

“Expect a very high-energy, fun, straight-up raw rock n’ roll show,” she said. “We love to have fun and we all have a strong sense of humor, so we always have a great time together.”