If It's Too Loud...

I've been a huge fan of Glixen's ever since I first heard "foreversoon" back in 2024. Seeing them play with Glitterer shortly after solidified my fandom, and I've been trying to see the Arizona heavy shoegaze band every time they make it up here. Wednesday night they headlined The Sinclair with three other diverse shoegaze bands: Trauma Ray, Her New Knife, and Knifeplay. Philadelphia's Knifeplay opened up the show. I was completely unfamiliar with them until Wednesday night, and they quickly won me over. They played a set of loud/quiet/loud shoegaze that went from gorgeous to punishing. Their music was simply mesmerizing and sucked the crowd in almost instantly. Some songs were almost completely quiet and almost folklike, and others were fully heavy. They played three or four songs in their just under thirty minute set, and set the tone for the evening perfectly. Her New Knife played next. They're also from Philadelphia, and while considered a shoegaze ban...

My expectations for Monday night's Tigers Jaw show were fairly high, possibly too high. I missed Something in the Way Festival on Saturday, but their set that day was the talk of Sunday. All day I kept hearing people talk about how great they were, so I instantly wanted to check them out next time they came through the area. Luckily I didn't have to wait that long since they played The Sinclair on Monday night. Tigers Jaw's set started off good. Really good, but not quite the level of great I was expecting. I was enjoying it, but thought they might have been more than a little overhyped. And then the third song, "Head is Like a Sinking Stone," kicked in, and suddenly I fully understood the hype. From there my casual fandom multiplied, and I was completely invested in the show. The crowd erupted for virtually every song, and after they played "Never Saw It Coming," it was an all out frenzy for the band. As a (formerly) non-diehard fan, I was surprised by ...

I was extremely excited for the Weakened Friends show Thursday night. As each band playing was announced, I got even more excited since I love all three bands that ended up playing. Weakened Friends, NOVA ONE, and Pinklids are all bands that we've been covering for a while now, and watching grow as artists, and it's been great to become a bigger fan of them and see them evolve. We first covered Weakened Friends back in September 2015 when they released Gloomy Tunes . Back then, they were pretty much the house band for when a 90's band came through town, particularly at The Sinclair. Thursday night saw them headlining The Sinclair on tour for their excellent new album Feels Like Hell. They took the stage like conquering heroes, with an adoring crowd screaming along to virtually every word of every song. The focus of the show was obviously the songs on the new album (some of my personal favorites were "NPC" with Jared Egan of Sidewalk Driver filling in for Buckethea...

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...

Miki Berenyi Photo by Ken Sears If you've heard Miki Berenyi Trio's excellent 2025 album Tripla , then you already want to see them live. As soon as the band announced an October 12 show at The Sinclair in Cambridge, MA, I instantly made plans to attend. Once it was announced that this would most likely be their final US tour, I knew nothing, not even a deluge from a nor'easter, would stop me. Taking the stage in a two guitars, one bass, and programmed drums formation, Miki Berenyi Trio played mostly from the just released Tripla. Live their songs had a slightly adjusted sound, with most alternating between dream pop and shoegaze, and others creating an almost dance party friendly version of shoegaze. The more mellow songs had just a slightly enhanced pep to them, and they were all even more lovely live. Miki Berenyi has been performing since the late 80's, and she commanded the stage. She's one of those performers you simply can't stop watching, whether she...

Sunday night was a rare completely stacked night for live shows in and around Boston. Of all of the entertainment options Sunday, I had to go with Laura Stevenson playing The Sinclair. I've been a huge fan for well over a decade, and it's been over twelve years since I was able to see her live (TT the Bear's way back in 2013). Luckily for me, I believe I made the correct choice, as the show was excellent and met the mood I needed. Playing as a quartet for most of the show, Laura Stevenson took the stage at roughly 9:00 for a great set of songs. She repeatedly apologized for playing so many sad songs in a row, and at one point said there would be two in a row, and there ended up being five to six. But, the crowd of Laura Stevenson devotees in the audience knew what we were getting into, and we welcomed it. It's a special kind of artist that can play so many sad songs with a sense of joy, and who can make it pleasant for the crowd. Plus, Stevenson's fans may be the mo...

European bands don't always come to the States often, or at all. (And, really, who could blame them currently?) When Belgium's Slow Crush played Sonia back in 2022, I missed it and thought that might have been my only chance. As soon as they announced a return to Boston this past Saturday night, I knew I couldn't miss this one. Heavy shoegaze is currently having a moment, and Slow Crush might be the finest of the genre. The quartet took the stage and completely owned it for over an hour. Their sound not only adds a heavy darkness to the shoegaze genre, but also kind of a pop sensibility. They're about as catchy as you can get in this style of music while still adding in the nearly metal level of heavy. Plus, even though shoegaze bands aren't exactly known for energy to the point that it's literally in the name of the genre, Slow Crush brought a crushing energy to their live show. Saturday night was kind of a crazy night for entertainment choices in Boston with i...

Sometimes a triple bill is just perfectly put together. The best plan is to find three bands who are similar enough to fit together, but different enough to keep things interesting. Plus, it helps when I've been dying to see all three bands but haven't been able to yet. That was the case Monday night at The Sinclair with Pelican, Porcelain, and Glacier, three bands I've been wanting to see for various amounts of time. I've been a fan of Pelican since 2001's Untitled , but, for whatever reason, I had never seen them until Monday night. The post-metal band was playing in Boston for the first time in six years, and they released a monster of a set upon the crowd. It's kind of mind-blowing that a band can play instrumental tracks for well over an hour while keeping their audience rapt, but that is the power of Pelican. The start of their set focused on the recently released Flickering Resonance , but they played songs from their entire career to the audience's d...

One of my favorite things is going to see a diverse live bill. Anyone can put together a show with three pop punk bands on it, but it's a challenge (and far more interesting) to put three unique bands on the same show and have it work out perfectly. Saturday night at The Sinclair saw the steamcrunk of Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys, doombrass heroes Eight Foot Manchild, and the baroque pop of Lovina Falls, and it was perfect. Opening the show was Lovina Falls, the current musical project of Valerie Forgione of Mistle Thrush. This was my third or fourth time seeing them in just a few months, and I'm still entertained every time. It's been interesting to watch Lovina Falls adjust and discover their sound over the past two or so years, and I think they've nailed their current sound down. It's an engaging blend of the baroque pop they started out with mixed with a more rock based sound. Songs like "Ellery Way" and "Vaulted" continue to ...

Nostalgia can be a weird thing. I don't remember being a big fan of The Amazing Royal Crowns back in the 90's. I was anti-The Amazing Royal Crowns, but I never sought them out. They just happened to be playing a bunch of shows I was already going to. but once I saw that they were playing their first show in at least ten years at The Sinclair, I bought a ticket immediately. The fact that Skavoovie and The Epitones were playing their first local show in twenty-five years along with Spring Heeled Jack were just a bonus. Opening the show was Lady Hatchet Quartet, a four woman ska band. (I didn't know you could legally have a ska band with that few members...) Let by Lady Hatchet (aka Kristin Forbes who has played with The Slackers, The Toasters, as well as other legendary ska bands), they played an incredibly fun and light set of ska songs. It was really everything you want in a ska set. You could easily dance to it, and they were a perfect choice to get the crowd warmed up. I ...

Everyone Asked About You had their first run back from 1996-2000, and recently reunited and released new music. I have vague memories of them from my college radio days, before I knew that emo was an entire genre. Their reissued albums reminded me of them and I became somewhat obsessed, and was thrilled when they were added to a Ted Leo & The Pharmacists show back in 2023. As soon as I saw that they were coming back for a headlining show at The Sinclair, I desperately wanted in. When a smaller band from the 90's reunites, it's typically the OG fans that show up with some gray in their hair, if they're lucky enough to still have hair to turn gray. I'm not quite sure what happened in the past few years, but Monday night's crowd was one of the youngest I've been in for at least a few years. X's were on many a hand, but the kids did bring an energy to the show that the over forty crowd rarely can these days. With a band like Everyone Asked About You, it'...

Photo by @mark.j.allen81 Nostalgia can be a weird thing. If you had asked me if I was a Stereo MC's fan, I would have said that I knew "Connected" but wasn't really a fan. When the British electro hip hop pioneers announced a short run of US dates, their first in twenty-four years, I instantly wanted to go. When I pulled them up on Spotify before the show, I was floored by how many of their songs I remembered and loved. I was prepared for a fun night of nostalgia, and thought the show would be okay to good. I was wrong. Stereo MC's were phenomenal live. Even the songs I was unfamiliar with hit me with a sense of nostalgia, but even aside of the nostalgia factor, they were great. Somehow these songs that were well over thirty years old didn't sound dated at all. This is a band of people in their sixties, and they attacked the stage with an energy people a third of their age lack. The show was an absolute party, and if you only remember them from "Connected...

I've been a fan of The Sheila Divine for nearly thirty years now. Back in the Fall, Aaron Perrino announced that from then on all of his musical projects would now be under the Sheila Divine umbrella. That means that The Sheila Divine now includes songs from Dear Leader, Aaron & The Lord, etc. Once last Saturday's show at The Sinclair was announced, I obviously had to make it so see what the newfangled Sheila Divine would be. Taking the stage with six members (and four guitars), The Sheila Divine crushed their set. It was a perfect mixture of a band with something and nothing to prove. Opening with the gloriously moody "The Modern Log" off of 1999's classic New Parade , the band set the mood for the evening. It was a masterclass of a setlist, with the bigger hits from New Parade  ("Like a Criminal," "Hum," and "Automatic Buffalo") interspersed throughout the set, with new songs like "Lilydale" and a surprising number of ...

Willie Watson, Photo by Ken Sears Old Crow Medicine Show are one of the giants of modern folk music. Earlier this year, Willie Watson released an excellent solo album that sucked me straight into fandom for the modern traditionalist. When it was announced that Watson was touring behind that album, I couldn't resist checking out his show at The Sinclair. It wasn't until just before the show that I found out Viv & Riley, one of my favorite folk duos, was opening the show, which just sweetened the deal. Willie Watson, Photo by Ken Sears Playing as a trio with a standup bass player and a fiddler, Willie Watson took the stage in front of an adoring crowd. Throughout the set, Watson had to battle a loud HVAC unit (New England in the winter...), but I don't think it bothered the crowd as much as he was concerned it did. Playing in support of September's self-titled album, Watson chose to play more traditional covers instead of the usual playing the new album that most arti...

I absolutely adored Stay Safe! , the 2023 album from Montreal's La Sé curit é . When you discover bands from nowhere near you, sometimes you resign yourself to never getting to see them live. After all, that album came out over a year ago and the band still hadn't made it to the Boston area. Once I saw they were playing The Sinclair opening for The Go! Team, I obviously had to go. I didn't know what to expect with La S é curit é's  live show. They play a version of dance punk that can easily go wrong live and is better as a studio creation. Instead, the songs off Stay Safe! were much more suited to the stage. Making their Boston area debut, the band played a high energy set that quickly won over the crowd. They play this bizarre mixture of indie rock meets punk combined with disco. The guitars in song like "Anyway" are somehow both indie and disco, which I didn't think could be possible. If you love to dance to music but feel you're too awkward, make s...

Jessica Pratt may not be the biggest artist of 2024, but she most certainly is one of the most beloved. That adoration was in full effect Saturday night at The Sinclair where a sold out crowd hung on every word and note of one of their favorite artists. This was not an evening for those that were curious. All five hundred and twenty five in attendance stood completely rapt for the entire performance. Jessica Pratt's show is a quiet one. All four musicians were sitting for the performance, and, despite having been to The Sinclair dozens of times, Saturday night was the first time I was aware of the noise caused by the HVAC system. The audience was dead silent during each and every song. Even between song chatter was kept to a bare minimum, and when it did happen it was barely even whispered. The crowd seemed to skew younger than I expected, and while "the kids" get a bad rap at shows, they were beyond well behaved for Jessica Pratt. And they were rewarded with a night of e...

Sometimes it's good to step out of your musical comfort zone a bit, and that's what I thought I was doing Wednesday night at The Sinclair with The Greeting Committee. The just released Everyone's Gone and I Know I'm the Cause is a little bit more poppy than I'm used to, but is still a great album. Once I got into the venue, I wasn't sure what to expect. First, the crowd was much younger and more mainstream than I'm used to. I was hardly the only attendee sporting some grey in my beard, but it was a young crowd. Plus, it was the type of crowd that was shouting along to the Chappell Roan songs in between bands, and doing the hand gesture/dances that apparently go along to the songs. Like I said, not my usual crowd for a show. But... then the music started and none of that mattered. The Greeting Committee and quite simply a stellar live band. They were kind of like a more energetic Alvvays or a less punk Mannequin Pussy. Singer Addison Sartino is one of the mos...

Photo by Millicent Hailes I've been trying to see Mannequin Pussy for years now, and it just has never quite worked out. This time around they were playing two shows (both sold out quickly) at The Sinclair, and luckily schedules aligned correctly for me. I had high expectations for the show, and somehow they were more than exceeded. This one might have been one of those life altering shows.  Soul Glo opened up the show. If you're unfamiliar with Soul Glo, they're a hardcore punk band that recently played NPR's Tiny Desk. They came out and just killed it right from the start. One of the more interesting parts of their performance was watching the crowd. For the first song, one single guy tried to start a mosh pit, which was completely appropriate given the style of music. He gave up about halfway through that song, but very slowly the crowd got more and more sucked in. It was easy to see why, as Soul Glo are dynamic performers. While they had some fans in attendance, the...

Weakened Friends have been one of my favorite bands from back when they seemed to be opening for every Boston 90's band's reunion show. They've come a long way since then, and are headliners on their own. Slothrust have been a band I've enjoyed for a while, and was blown away when I saw them last summer at the In Between Days Festival. When the two bands announced a joint tour, I was thrilled and knew I simply had to make it. Weakened Friends opened the evening with an incredibly tight set that doubles as a career-spanning greatest hits set at this point. In the past few years, they've transformed themselves into full fledged rock stars (at least in the indie rock sense). They definitely had their own fanbase at the show, and there are obviously some diehard fans of both bands at the show. Songs like "Main Bitch" and "Blue Again" were excitedly sung by a sizable portion of the audience. One of my favorite part of any Weakened Friends show is watc...

I somehow missed Mclusky the first time around, which doesn't make any sense to me since I was very active in finding new music in the early 2000's. I only recently discovered them thanks to Jeff, and they were always one of those bands that I just had to accept the fact that I missed out on. But, somehow the band reunited in 2014. So when a show at The Sinclair in Cambridge was announced for last Friday, I jumped at the chance to go despite feeling like an imposter fan. And what a show it was. I doubt there were any casual Mclusky fans at the show on Friday night, but if there were they are now diehards. Opening with "Fuck this Band" (which is literally the perfect choice, both because it's hilarious and helped ease the crowd into the show before the explosion of "Dethink to Survive"), Mclusky instantly had the crowd enraptured by their show. Quite often reunion shows can be very obvious cash grabs, with the band having no real interest in playing the m...