Come may not be the first name that springs to mind in a catalog of notable 90s indie rockers, story or Matador Records alums, prescription or Boston-originating bands. Despite cultivating a unique and attention-grabbing sound over the course of four consistently great records, site Come never really received their due diligence in the annals of music history. For a small contingent of fans, though, they were something special. Lucky for said contingent, the original lineup of Thalia Zedek, Chris Brokaw, Sean O’Brien and Arthur Johnson have reunited this year for a proper tour to celebrate Matador’s reissuing of their 1992 debut, 11:11.
For their local stop, the veteran Bostonians chose the city’s newest club. A little odd, perhaps, but what can you do when Big K.R.I.T. and Action Bronson have seized the Middle East Downstairs for the night? Opening the show was 27, another group of Boston natives who have recorded and performed intermittently since their 1997 formation. A moody set of shoegaze-tinged indie rock punctuated with samples and ambient noise set the stage rather nicely.
Come took the stage without much fanfare, but tore into their set with some serious conviction. The band has an intensely gritty sound that translates brilliantly to a live show, headed by the fiery interplay between Zedek and Brokaw’s guitars. Their instruments seemed to twist and tangle around one another in a maelstrom that was equal parts melody and noise. The clashes were both sonic and nearly literal, as the two repeatedly gravitated toward one another in a dueling guitarists pose during instrumental passages.
That fusion of beauty and abrasiveness rests at the band’s heart. You’d be hard pressed to find a written description of Come that doesn’t describe Zedek’s vocals as “anguished,” but there was something alluring about the raw sincerity in her rough-edged voice. Hearing O’Brien and Johnson’s sharp rhythm section counter the dual-guitar meltdowns was just as enthralling. Even a decade-and-a-half after the disbandment of this particular lineup, they still sounded as vital and furious as ever on stage.
The show’s atmosphere was one of reverence, on the part of both the fans toward the band and the band toward its own legacy. Not unlike the case of last year’s brief reunion of Brokaw’s other project, the legendary slowcore band Codeine, Come seemed to reconvene not as a cash-grab or an artistic reactivation, but simply to revisit their songs and their sound and share the experience with fans who either never had the opportunity to see them or would kill to see them again. The Sinclair wasn’t packed that Thursday night, but it was a pleasure to see the band pour their hearts and souls into it one more time, regardless.
