Boston Rock Photos And Stuff
The Milling Gowns’ post-punk aesthetic was warmly received by the Radio audience on a cold Friday night. The growing crowd was drawn in by echos of Joy Division and The Cure. Their set kicked off Artificial Night #1, a celebration of the new releases from Parlour Bells and Lifestyle.
There was some enthusiastic punking and rocking down in Moe’s Lounge this past Friday night courtesy of Mike Woo’s Raging Bone. Fun stuff.
The Sour Doo-Dahs kicked out a string of would-be* blues/punk/desert/stoner hits to close down The Midway for the night.
* Should be?
Totem was in the third slot of an eclectic bill at The Midway. The band’s set showed off its diverse song writing.
Robert Ferent teamed up with Totem’s Gary Alex to present some experimental electronic music to the Midway crowd.
Black Fortress Of Opium are mesmerizing. They pull you into their world with each new painted landscape and lingering melody.
The Susan Constant
Shapes
2013
The Susan Constant were one of my favorite surprises of the 2012 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble. I knew nothing of the band going into the night, but their passionate set won me over instantly. Their new EP, Shapes, is equally fan-inducing. Somehow, the band has managed to capture the spark of their live performance on these six well-crafted indie rock gems. These are the kinds of songs that get packed clubs hopping or swaying in unison.* “Locked Up” and “One Good Reason” have hit single written all over them.** The rest of the release is just as solid. Songs like “Tennessee,” “Like A Ghost” and “Draw Us All” show off how a band can vary their songwriting while cultivating a well-defined sound. It all leads up to “Midwestern You,” a song that opens with a U2-esque intro before riding out on a wave of synth pads and almost horn-like guitar melodies. That’s a pretty nice way to close out Shapes.
Where to get it:
* The release show for Shapes is Saturday night at The Middle East Upstairs. I’m pretty sure this is going to happen.
** “Locked Up” even has a hit single video.
Before taking the stage for an abbreviated set, the folks in Bent Knee were implored to make their set the best four songs of their lives by an enthusiastic member of the crowd. I don’t think that person left disappointed.
Oh, it was also guitarist Ben Levin’s birthday.
Endation’s set at Church got cut a bit short due to a scheduling mix-up. No matter. They packed enough wall-of-sound riffage into their set to keep the crowd buzzing all night.
