Live Shows: Hallelujah the Hills and HO-AG, Deep Cuts, Medford, MA 11/15/25

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Last year on November 15, I was at Deep Cuts in Medford for the fifth anniversary of Hallelujah the Hills' album I'm You. What should have been a celebratory occasion was somewhat somber as everyone in the audience was still trying to figure out if we should be having fun at that point in history. This year on November 15, I was at Deep Cuts in Medford for Hallelujah the Hills' twentieth anniversary, and this year we were able to celebrate properly. 

It's a crazy feeling to me that one of my "new" bands has been around for twenty years, but I haven't been around for all of Hallelujah the Hills' two decades. I got into them around 2014's Have You Ever Done Something Evil? Because of that, I wasn't all that familiar with much of their set, which strongly focused on their earlier songs. Some songs, such as 2012's "Nightengale Lightning," I don't believe I've ever seen performed live. This was definitely a night for long term Hills' diehard fans, some of which were there for their first ever performance at Great Scott twenty years ago.

Since we've been so focused on their newer albums and songs, it's easy to forget how great their first albums were. "Hallelujah the Hills" is a silly but great song, and "To All My Scientist Colleagues I Bid You Farewell" is absolutely fantastic. There were plenty of newer songs represented, like "Here Goes Nothing" (with the incredibly fun to shout along to chorus of "Fuck, I'm starting over again") and an Ezra Furman-less "Rebuilding Year." Singer Ryan Walsh commented that we'd be disappointed that he was singing lead on that one, but it was still great. Saturday night's show was a perfect reminder of why Hallelujah the Hills are so great, and we're looking forward to the next twenty years.

Opening the show was HO-AG, playing their first public show since 2013. Leading up to the show, Ryan Walsh commented that HO-AG are the best live band he's ever seen. Saturday night was my first time ever seeing them, and there's a strong case for Walsh being right. If this was their first public set in twelve years, I can't even imagine what they were like in their heyday. They played a solid set of disjointed indie rock that reminded me of Mclusky meets The Dismemberment Plan. It was high energy, it was just weird enough to keep everything interesting, and it even involved a Gameboy being played, so maybe they'll qualify for Boston Bitdown in 2026? I had listened to some of their recorded music before the show to familiarize myself with them, but nothing could have prepared me for the absolute powerhouse of a show they put on. I became an instant fan, and I'm desperate for them not to wait another dozen years for another show.

On Repeat...

Minibeast - "High Sea"

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Somehow Peter Prescott of Mission of Burma and Volcano Suns has another band that I never knew about. Minibeast already released an album that I completely missed back in 2012, and they are currently at work on the follow up, Free Will. Based on a track from the upcoming album, "High Sea," Minibeast shares some common sonic ground with Mission of Burma, but with an added emphasis on the groovy side of things. It's basically the noise and dissonance of Burma but heard through a 60s surf groove, as if Frankie and Annette were punks. You can listen to "High Sea" below. Minibeast currently have a Kickstarter to help fund the final production of Free Will. You can get more information on that here . It should be out sometime in June.
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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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Midnight Peg - "Thirstland"

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Photo by Cecil Sykes Midnight Peg are an Edmonton, AB based band that are referred to as "madhouse punk." Their latest single, "Thirstland," is a just barely under control two minute burst of punk. You have guitar riffs that will make you think of At the Drive In, and somewhat spoken and yelled vocals which create a feeling of chaos throughout. This is a loud and angry track that is completely in your face. But, unlike most tracks this loud and punk based, "Thirstland" still keeps a sense of art in their music. Midnight Peg feel like a higher class of loud, angry punk rock. This one is great, with just enough of an emo undercurrent to make the song kind of melodic and almost palatable to a mainstream audience. You can listen to "Thirstland" below. Skinning is due out in October on Thousand Island Records. For more on Midnight Peg, check out the artist's website .
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