Live Shows: Davila 666, Las Nubes, Ladrones, and Gossip Collar, Deep Cuts, Medford, MA 10/10/24

I have been absolutely loving Tormentas Malsanas since it was released back in June. The latest from Las Nubes is a strong contender to make my Top 10 albums of 2024. When I saw they were playing Deep Cuts (which is quickly becoming a favorite place to see a show) with Ladrones, I knew I needed to be there. Ladrones are a band I'm somewhat familiar with, but their live show comes highly recommended. I wasn't as familiar with Davila 666 or Gossip Collar, but I'm always up for seeing new bands.

Gossip Collar opened the show. The Boston band have flown under my radar, but we're now going to be fully on #TeamGossipCollar. Musically, they're a unique mix of darkwave, post-punk, and late 70's/early 80's punk. I personally thought of Mission of Burma, The Cramps, and Joy Division during their set. And it was an amazing set. The band played with an unmatched intensity, and brought a light show with them not typically seen from a Boston band. The swirling and manic lights matched the swirling and manic energy from the band, and singer/guitarist Victoria is the type of frontperson you simply can't look away from. 

Atlanta's Ladrones played next, and I had high hopes for their set. All hopes were far exceeded by the intensity they brought to the stage. Valeria Sanchez might be the most underrated performer in music today, and is the perfect person to front a garage punk band. She spent a good chunk of the set in the crowd, basically demanding the crowd to match their energy. Ladrones are loud and a little messy, but in the best way. They played incredibly tightly, but there was a sense that anything could happen during their set.

One thing that was great about Thursday night is that all four bands have completely different sounds and vibes, but all four worked perfectly together. Miami's Las Nubes were the most unlike the other three, but they fit in with the rest. Their sound is much more laid back and alt-rock based than the other three, but they still kept the energy of the crowd high. Their dream pop based sound had a very strong comparison to bands like Veruca Salt and The Breeders live, particularly when Ale Campos and Cuci Amador harmonized. Their music sounded even more lovely live, and definitely elevated the artsy level of the evening. They mentioned that this was their first time playing in the Boston area, so let's hope the chilly October night doesn't deter them from returning.

Coming from Puerto Rico, Davila 666 came from the furthest away of all four bands. Their version of garage rock was completely different from Ladrones. While still being garage punk, Davila 666 leaned into a more classic version of garage punk. There was a strong sense of chaos during their set, particularly since Davila 666 seemed barely in control of the music bursting from them. Some of the best garage rock has a certain sloppy feel to it, and that fits Davila 666 Thursday night. For the genre, that is a positive and part of the charm. After seeing three great bands play earlier, Davila 666 had a lot to live up to, and they were still able to blow everyone at Deep Cuts away.