As I've stated here far too many times, I'll use any excuse to get up to Salem, MA to hang out. Moon Base One, a new all-ages sober space, keeps giving me plenty of reasons to make the trip up, and Thursday night was one of those. As soon as I saw that Little Low and Megan from Work were playing together, I knew I couldn't miss the show. Later, Cape Crush was announced, which just sweetened the deal. I had never heard The Dreaded Laramie before, but they quickly became a favorite during their set.
Opening the show Thursday night was Little Low. I discovered the Boston pop punk/emo band back in March playing with Oh the Humanity, SkyTigers, and ONE FALL, which was perfect timing to not miss their excellent album Sunshine Guilt, which was released in May. They play an upbeat version of emo that lands somewhere between the more mainstream, TRL friendly version and the harder edged late 90's style. It's just all catchy songs with a punk edge, and "Dark Beer Archives" has quickly become a favorite of mine. Little Low always seem to put on a fun show, especially if you love vintage emo but want it to be updated to 2025.
Megan from Work came up next. The last (and first) time I saw them was at Boston Calling, and seeing as Moon Base One is a smaller venue, their set was much more subdued. They fit the smaller space perfectly, and singer Megan Simon was just as a compelling performer Thursday night as they were on the Orange Stage. "Life into a Movie" and "Girl Suit" were highlights of the set. Megan from Work's music fits snugly in the worlds of pop and pop punk, and kept the evening's theme of incredibly catchy music going. Plus, they have a new single called "Back on the Saddle" coming out this (or maybe next?) week that I'm sure we'll be bringing you.
The Dreaded Laramie are a Nashville band that were making a weekend swing through the Northeast with Megan from Work, and they played next. They are a power pop/dark pop band that didn't take themselves seriously, to the point that instead of a normal band introduction, singer/guitarist MC Cunningham instead introduced the members as the signers of the Federalist Papers. They took the stage in matching red and blue outfits, and absolutely killed during their set. They were the third fun and catchy pop punk-ish band of the night, and made quite a few fans of first time viewers.
Closing out the night was Cape Crush. They might have had the most traditionally pop punk sound of the night, and filled their set with catchy and fun pop punk songs. "San Souci" will always be a live favorite of theirs, with incredible hooks and plenty of lines perfect for shouting along to. (I can't express how great of a final line "I'll stick a fork right through your fucking thigh" is live...) I believe that of the four bands that played Thursday night, Cape Crush is the one I've seen the most, and they'll be remaining on my must see list for as long as they keep playing shows.
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