Rebuilder
Photo by Ken Sears
The past few editions of Boston Calling have had what appeared to be theme days. Friday had a country theme, and Saturday was more of an early 00's emo and pop punk vibe going. However, there was a lot of going, and we took in some pop punk as well as electronic, folk-pop, indie rock, experimental pop, and vintage blues rock!
Sofia Isella
Playing during the heaviest downpour of the day, Sofia Isella opened the Green Stage and was the first artist playing Boston Common on Saturday. Stylistically, Isella doesn't sound like anyone else playing all weekend. It was more of an electronic/dance music vibe that made me wish she had played later in the day than 1:30 pm. Ever since first hearing her song "Hot Gum" on the Boston Calling Spotify playlist, I knew I wanted to see Isella live, despite her sound not being something I typically seek out. Live it sounded like Aphex Twin decided to try out drum and bass and recruited Poe to be the singer. I'll definitely be seeking her out next time she makes it through New England.
Mon Rovîa
Mon Rovîa is an artist I had never heard of before Saturday afternoon. He played immediately after Sofia Isella and was a complete musical turnaround from her set. The Liberian-born Tennessee-based artist played a laid back set of folk-pop. Despite playing a fairly quiet and laid back set, he was immediately engaging, and grabbed the attention of everyone just getting settled into the day. His music was beautiful with just enough soul to keep it from sounding stale and keeping his sound unique to him.
Pinklids
It's been a little over two years since I discovered Pinklids at the Firehouse in Worcester, and in that two years the band has evolved into an incredible new sound. In 2023, their sound was all over the place, going from pop to noise punk to multiple other genres. Saturday they combined New Wave with No Wave, sounding like a mix of DEVO and X-Ray Specs. They still have a pop side to them, but it's a rough version of anything that could be considered pop. I had stated that singer Amber Lawson was a future rock star, and I'm happy to admit my prediction appears to be true. She took over the Orange Stage in a way that no one else has before, and is going to be one of the best frontpeople in the Boston scene very soon. Plus, they broke out a noise rock cover of The Beatles' "Helter Skelter," giving the song even more menace.
sidebody
Just when you thought I couldn't possibly have more to say about sidebody, the Somerville band ends up playing one of the most fun sets of the weekend. The set began with a phone ringing and singer Hava Horowitz answering and saying that it was "Boston... Boston calling." (It was such a silly joke that it worked.) After saying she wasn't sure where the rest of sidebody was, the rest of the band joined her onstage, with one member dressed as a phone and another with a tower on her head. That set the tone for their entire, high energy set, with the audience going more and more nuts with every song. "quantumly entangled" has been my go to for a while, but that may be replaced with "fingerprints" after Saturday. By the time they closed with "sponge time," they had practically the entire audience yelling "SPONGE TIME!"
Lucius
It's been at least ten years since I've had the pleasure of seeing Lucius live, and in that time they've evolved from a more folk based artist to a more rock and pop based one. The roots of their sound are still there, and somehow they've become an even more fun live show than they were previously. Jesse Wolfe and Holly Laessig have always played off each other astoundingly well, but in 2025 they're almost at a supernatural level. It's been a little while since I've listened to their albums so I wasn't that familiar with what they chose to play, but they were so fun and entertaining that I didn't care that I didn't get to see many of my old favorites. Let's hope I don't go ten more years without seeing them live.
Rebuilder
Rebuilder have slowly become one of my favorite live bands in all of Boston, and continue getting better and better each time I see them. They play a smart and highly personal version of pop punk, with catchy songs and a volume perfect to pogo or rock out to. "Stayin' Alive" continues to be the catchiest song about self-harm I've ever heard, and "La Grand Fromage" is destined to be a lifetime favorite of mine. They closed with "Disco Loader" and were joined by the horn section of The New Limits and also included singer/guitarist Sal Ellington entering the crowd for a "hug pit." Rebuilder are always a fantastic and fun live show, and Boston Calling was no exception.
The Black Crowes
A lot of people are surprised to discover that I'm a huge Black Crowes fan, but The Sourthern Harmony and Musical Companion is a top five all time album for me. It might be because it was one of three cassettes I brought with me on a two week family trip to Alaska and played it roughly five times a day. I've seen them twice before, both back in 1996. One was an aborted show at the Polish American Beach Club in Gardner, MA, and another was at UMass Amherst. Twenty-nine years later and The Black Crowes are even more of an amazing live band. While many of his peers have lost a little bit of their singing ability, Chris Robinson sounds better than ever. The band stuck mostly to their first two albums, which was my prime time of listening, so it worked for me personally. Plus, in the 90's The Black Crowes were considered a hippie throwback band, but in 2025 we can recognize that they're just blues rock, and blues rock bands that can deliver live are always welcome here. I can guarantee I won't be going another thirty years in between live shows.
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