Live Shows: Sextile and Automatic, Brighton Music Hall, Boston, MA 9/24/25

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Automatic
Photo by Ken Sears

Ever since Automatic released "Is It Now?" back in June, I've been fairly obsessed with the synth-pop trio. They hit this great electronic music meets rock spot for me, and the singles they released before the album Is It Now? were a bunch of fun. Once I saw they were coming to Boston on a co-bill with Sextile (a band I was unfamiliar with but has a great name), I immediately made plans to go see them.

Automatic played first and more than lived up to the hype I put upon them. With vocals split between synth player Izzy Glaudini and drummer Lola Dompe, the band played a killer set split between older material and songs from the just about to be released Is It Now? The crowd seemed to be fairly split between being there for Sextile or being there for Automatic, but they seemed to win most of the crowd over by the end of their set. They had a perfect split between the electronic elements of their sound while still being a more rock based live band, and were ridiculously fun live. Most songs tend to be fairly low key (especially compared to Sextile), but it was a full on dance party for the length of their set. Songs like "Is It Now?" and "Black Box" translated to a live show much better than I hoped, even though they played a darker sound than I expected. I'm definitely looking forward to the next time they make it to the Boston area.

Sextile
Photo by Ken Sears

Sextile closed out the evening, and played an insanely bass heavy sex. This was pure electronic music with the occasional live instrument added. Brady Keehn and Melissa Scaduto split vocal and fronting duties, and worked the crowd into an absolute frenzy. I would normally not think such bass heavy pure electronic music would be my thing, but it was practically impossible to not get sucked in by the pure energy they had on stage. My fillings were rattled, but I left Brighton Music Hall happy Wednesday night with a new appreciation for a genre I don't typically follow.

On Repeat...

The New Limits - "Normal Day"

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Photo via Facebook According to their Bandcamp profile, The New Limits are a "Boston ska band with a taste for rocksteady, reggae, soul, and rock n roll." They just released a single that shows off their sound perfectly. "Normal Day" is a laid back ska song dripping with soul. You know that joke that goes around every few months saying that ska is the sound that plays in a twelve year old's head when they get an extra mozzarella stick? The New Limits are the grown up version of that sound. This is ska/rocksteady for adults. It's ultra chilled out music with some of the best horns in the city. Even if you haven't listened to ska since your youth, you need to check out "Normal Day." This might help re-open the entire genre to you. The New Limits say of their latest single: " What is normal, anyway? Some of us just want a nine-to-five. Others cry at the thought. 'Normal Day' has nothing to do with quarantine and lots to do with figuri...
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The Beths - "Mother, Pray for Me"

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Photo by Annabel Kean For their latest single, New Zealand's The Beths have released "Mother, Pray for Me." This is a heartbreaking ballad consisting of Elizabeth Stokes' vocals and guitar with just the slightest hint of organ. It's a deeply personal song for Stokes, made obvious with how intimately the song comes across. It truly feels almost confessional, and it's quite simply beautiful. The Beths are most known for huge little indie rock gems perfect for bopping along to, but "Mother, Pray for Me" is quite the opposite. Stokes' vocals and lyrics are right up front on this one, and I can't imagine it any other way. Elizabeth Stokes says of her latest single: “I cried the whole time writing it. It's not really about my mother, it's about me — what I hope our relationship is, what I think it is, what it maybe actually is, and what I can or can't expect out of it.   “My mother is a first gen Indonesian immigrant, and very Catholic....
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Brennen Leigh - "Dumpster Diving"

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Photo by Lyza Renee Brennen Leigh has quickly become a favorite of ours, with her take on a classic country sound with a slight sense of humor. Her latest single, "Dumpster Diving," which she describes as a "trashy little tune," is everything we love about the musician. It's a vintage style country song that comes in at a punk like one minute, forty-eight seconds. With a chorus of "Dumpster diving, this ain't gonna last / Dumpster diving, 'cause baby you like trash..." how can you possibly resist. Leigh's latest gives us a decades old sound with modern sensibilities and her fantastic voice that's tailor made for this genre of music. It's almost like a collaboration between Loretta Lynn and Shel Silverstein, and who doesn't want to hear that? You can hear "Dumpster Diving" below. Don't You Ever Give Up On Love  is due out October 3 on Signature Sounds, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Brennen Leigh,...
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