Boston Rock Photos And Stuff
Birthday shenanigans continued at O’Brien’s with The Milling Gowns.
OK, that sounds a little weird, but The Milling Gowns’ compelling, darkness-cloaked post-punk fit right into the night’s festivities.
Sometimes music is an escape. Other times it matches exactly how you feel. Last Thursday evening at TT’s was the latter. Future Carnivores were releasing their new album. I was running late. It was starting to rain. I arrived during The Milling Gowns’ set and was quickly enveloped by their gloomy pop. The darkness settled in. They understood.
The Milling Gowns just put me on notice. I caught them for the first time earlier this year when they won over a Radio crowd. I enjoyed that set. The band’s set at TT’s last week was something else entirely. It was vital. There was urgency. The Milling Gowns are building toward something big. Let’s see how this plays out.
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.
Bands pretending to be other bands: Sometimes good, sometimes bad, sometimes uncanny. Throw I, Pistol covering Nirvana in the third bucket.
I had a feeling this would be pretty good. I had never seen I, Pistol before, but I seem to recall Rick Taylor doing a Nirvana cover with Walk Of Shame when he participated in One Night Band.* I was not let down. These guys stuck mostly** to songs from Nevermind, Bleach and Incesticide. They obviously love the material and they delivered it convincingly. This was a pretty cool way to kick off the night.
* Dave Stoops did One Night Band the following year with Lesbian Frankenstein.
** Entirely? I can’t recall. I didn’t realize there would be a quiz. Back off.
Due to a work emergency, Lesbian Frankenstein (Bryan Hinkley, Dave Stoops, Molly Zenobia and Steven Lord) became the first One Night Band quartet. Rising to the challenge, this four-piece cooked up one of the most eclectic sets of the evening.
One Night Band 4 is tonight! That means we’ve got 8 brand new bands scattered around the city writing songs and learning covers for the big show. Once again I was lucky enough to get to shoot the official photos for a few of the acts.* This year we got some classic brick wall action going. Here’s a sneak peek at some of what you’ll see tonight at the Middle East Downstairs!
Big Head Big Ears
Candace Clement, Rice Edmonston, Nicholas Ward, Peter Moore, Aaron Silverstein
Grandfather Time Bomb
Walter Sickert, Jared Egan, Caroline Toth, Evelyn Pope, Annie Hoffman
Lesbian Frankenstein
Molly Zenobia, Steven Lord, Dave Stoops, Bryan Hinkley
* Mary Flatley took the rest. I’m sure they’ll pop up soon. Keep an eye out.