No time for Rumble weariness. Harris Hawk just launched a blistering barrage of riffs to kick off the final night of the preliminary round. That’ll get ya goin’.
Kapow! Petty Morals just blew the roof off of TT’s. No other way to put it. A potent blend of punk rock and ’80s pop, they delivered the most fun set of The Rumble so far and punched themselves a ticket to the semifinals.
Feints just laid down the hard rock hustle. No frills. No nonsense. Just go out and wail, baby, wail. Rumble Prelim Night #5 is off to a fantastic start.
All along I’ve been asking what Gondoliers will do in The Rumble. I should have known. They came out and proved that they’re the most unpredictable, most captivating, most trenchant band in Boston.
Most bands would be lucky to have one song as good as any of the songs in Slowdim’s catalog. They sparkle and pull on your heart strings. Slowdim’s Rumble set was gorgeous.
Well, if you’re going to have a best set ever, The Rumble is a great time to do it. Fresh off the Day of Rest, Butterknife opened Rumble Prelim Night #4 with a precision set of future indie rock anthems.
We’re half way through Rumble prelims week. I hope you enjoyed your Day of Rest. Things get going again tonight. Here’s the schedule for the rest of the week. In the meantime, these are some thing I’ve been chewing on…
Old Favorites
Airport continues to amaze me. Based on the crowd response, I wasn’t the only one in awe. Sinnet played “Year of the Whale” like it was the last song on earth. So good. After catching the band a couple of times minus a member, I finally got the full Doom Lover experience. It was everything I hoped it would be. Arena-rockers-in-training The Life Electric played like TT’s was The Centrum. How good were Goddamn Draculas? You knew it was their night by half way through the first song.
New Faces
Lots of good stuff from new-to-me bands in the first half of the week. Z*L was a visceral experience. Their guitar reverb is still decaying. Tigerman Woah and Guillermo Sexo came highly recommended and delivered inspired sets. Rebuilder were the first band of this year’s event. They set the bar high.
Bubbles Vs. Feathers Vs. Confetti
Sidewalk Driver sent confetti flying when they played The Rumble. White Dynomite famously filled the air with feathers as part of their pillow sacrifice to the Rumble gods. This year, it was bubbles floating by. Barricades broke out the bubble gun during their Tuesday night win.
Fun With Numbers
The Fightin’ Fifty-Four: 54 performers have taken the stage to Rumble this year. Seven were part of quintets. There were also a pair of quartets, one trio and one duo. Airport trumped ’em all as a sextet.
Ties On The Rise: Two years ago, 5 different performers wore ties during The Rumble. Last year it was 8. We’re half way through the preliminary round and 10 performers have already donned ties (2 of the bow variety) in the 2014 Rumble.
I Can’t Count That High: How many notes did Emma Ate The Lion play during their set? Heck, how many notes did they play during a single song? Wowza.
Play Me Out When Particles Collide were having a pretty good set Monday night. Then they played “Constant Disaster” and the place went bonkers. Below are a few of the songs that have stuck with me so far. Now get thee to TT’s!