Photo by Caroline Daniels

by Ben Bonadies

Though arena rock got its name by the way it filled the biggest rooms in music, devotees know well that the genre has always been more about set than setting. The soaring, dramatic tunes of Styx, Bon Jovi, and Boston sound just as good coming out of your FM radio as they do inside a football stadium. Somerville’s community music space The Jungle is a great room, but an arena it is not. The low cap size did not stop Reverie, a seven-piece ensemble of Berklee students, from treating it like one.

Reverie specializes in the kind of virtuosic hard rock that has seemingly fallen out of fashion. Their set—a mix of smart originals and well chosen covers—is equal parts pomp and chops. The band’s wardrobe is fittingly (and welcomingly) turned up: hair flowing, shirts unbuttoned, sunglasses donned, shoes sequined. And the musicianship on display was first rate, too. All three singers who took the mic wielded powerful, booming voices and were bolstered by rock-steady rhythm section and dynamite dual guitar work. Jack Black’s character in School of Rock would adore them. 

The band opened with Journey’s “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart),” heralding the brand of nü-classic rock that would be Reverie’s oeuvre. Original tune “No Mercy” is a potent mix of hair metal and stadium glam. Lead singer Alec deMello’s vocals are undeniably strong here, moving between belt and scream with impressive control. “Sorry Not Sorry,” another original penned and led by Karelia Rydman Santos, was some refreshingly pared down pop punk and a set-highlight for this writer. Late in the set came “Long Gone,” an old school power-ballad that keyboardist Gilliam Robles said came about by trying to write something like Scorpions’ “Still Loving You.” 

One thing is for sure, Reverie know how to fill a stage—physically and musically. Their sound and presence was far bigger than the 85-cap venue could contain. 

Follow Reverie on Instagram to catch their next show.