Live Shows: Downtown Boys and Perennial, Holyoke Media, Holyoke, MA 6/24/26

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Photo by Kate Strowkowski


Sometimes bands end up pairing together beautifully. That was the case Wednesday night when the highly political saxophone party punk of Downtown Boys was paired with the artpunk/mod of Perennial. Both bands are two of my favorites, and I try to see them separately as often as possible. Together? A complete can't miss!

The show took place in the TV studio of Holyoke Media, which was an odd and interesting but perfect place for a show. There wasn't an actual stage as much as a line created by monitors on the floor, but that worked perfectly for these two bands. Perennial was up first, and it had been far too long since I last saw them. They've always been one of New England's most fun live bands, and if anything, they're even more so now. It was an ultra-high energy set that saw the live debut of their killer new single, "What's New On the Beat Scene." Perennial are at their best with high audience participation, which was brought by the western Massachusetts audience. The lack of a stage made it feel like everyone was a part of the show, which was heightened by how often members of Perennial wandered into the crowd during their set. At one point, all three members of the band were in the audience, including the drummer who was carrying a cymbal. The band closed with a pair of favorites: "Perennial in a Haunted House" and "Perennial Meets The Wolfman." As always, a great time was had by all.

Downtown Boys' set focused mostly on their new album (out today, June 26!), but no one seemed to mind. The new songs are absolutely solid, and we should expect great things to come from this release. What seemed to click with me is that no matter how political or angry Downtown Boys' music is, their shows are still a blast. This is political protest through dancing and partying, and most of the crowd spent the show dancing more than moshing. Vocalist Victoria Ruiz broke down the barrier between performers and audience by having virtually everyone in the front two rows contribute to vocals, and the trend of the band playing in the crowd continued, especially with saxophone player Joe DeGeorge. They did break out some long time favorites like "A Wall" and "Wave of History," and closed with what sounded like a cover of The Strokes' "New York City Cops."

On Repeat...

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