Live Shows: Die Spitz and Babe Haven, The Sinclair, Cambridge, MA 11/16/25

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I'm fairly new to the world of Die Spitz fandom. I only discovered them through their most recent album, Something to Consume, but was immediately grabbed. Sunday night I joined an interesting mix of twenty-something hipsters and middle aged metal dudes at The Sinclair when Die Spitz came roaring into town. 

Reading about Die Spitz's live show, my expectations were high. I'm thrilled to say they exceeded all expectations. They were an absolute powerhouse live right from the opening song, "I hate when GIRLS die." Their show is an energetic whirlwind of sound, mostly in the metal and punk side of music, but occasionally delving into some more pop oriented sounds. They had a sense of chaos throughout their set, with singer/guitarist Ellie Livingston playing in the crowd at one point and then climbing the balcony railing at another. Chloe de St. Aubin and Ava Schrobilgen also took turns on vocals and traded guitar and drums during the show. Bassist Kate Halter seemed like she was having the time of her life, adding her to my list of favorite bass players.

Working the crowd into a moshing and headbanging frenzy with songs like "Punishers," "My Hot Piss," and "Pop Punk Anthem (Sorry for the Delay)," Die Spitz owned the stage for a good forty five minutes before taking a quite break before the encore. Coming back, they blew through four more songs that somehow brought the show to an even higher level than before. They closed with the intense "Throw Yourself to the Sword," which included Livingston brandishing a sword on stage. It could have been cheesy, but Die Spitz made it work. Plus, the song is the closest I've heard to Pantera's "Walk" in decades.

Opening the show was Babe Haven, who I had confused with indie rock duo Babehoven. I thought that was an interesting choice to open for a heavy band like Die Spitz, but it turns out Babe Haven is a completely different, and much heavier band. They had a riot grrrl goes thrash sound, with absolutely fiery guitar shredding. Some of the crowd knew them, but they quickly won over the rest with their pure energy and power. They inspired a decent pit by the third song, which lasted for the rest of their set. Babe Haven was a perfect opener for this show, and we're looking forward to covering them more from now on.

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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