‘Twas the night before Halloween – Mischief Night as some may refer to it, and NYC-born pop band Misterwives returned to Boston for another night of high energy stage antics, danceable bops and plenty of frightful gags. Stopping by on their “Just For One Night(mare)” tour, the quintet recruited bands Moody Joody and Joan to open the evening. 

Kicking off with Moody Joody, a “girl group… plus one guy” from Nashville, the trio came dressed as retro space cadets & martians before introducing the Boston area audience to their modest discography of dance pop. “Are you ready to go to space with us?”, asked lead singer Kayla Hall with their bright green antennae bobbing back and forth, eliciting cheers from the crowd. Having just released their first EP Dream Girl on November 8th, the band feels fresh while maintaining a campy nostalgia for years of pop gone by with songs “Velvet Connection”, “Ground Control” and “El Camino High.” Hall & guitarist Kaitie Forbes were fully capable of busting through any young band anxieties and appealed to the crowd with charming crowd banter and engagement. The set revealed yet another promising band on the rise, eager to keep growing bigger for the next performance. 

Keeping with the upbeat pop vibe, Little Rock, AR based duo Joan took the stage next. Dressed as cops & robbers, the crowd went wild for songs “drive all night”, “so good” and recent single “heart body mind soul.” Giving flashes of The 1975 and Wallows with their synth pop/rock sound and romantic lyrics, it’s easy to see the duo’s appeal to a younger crowd such as the one packed into the House of Blues. “Hold on we’re getting some breaking news, my producer just handed me, this is big… Boston is slaying,” remarked vocalist Alan Benjamin Thomas to the eager crowd, a commendable amount of whom also came dressed in their Halloween best.

With the ghosts & goblins in the crowd suitably riled up, the final act finally emerged onto the stage. As gravestones, lanterns and cobwebs were draped around the stage and “Monster Mash” and the Addams’ Family theme played in the pre-show, it came as no surprise to see Misterwives vocalist Mandy Lee & co. dressed as Wednesday, Fester, Morticia & the rest of the gang. The band immediately launched into a set consisting of tracks from their four studio albums and various singles. Standouts included underrated banger “Where Do We Go From Here?”, recent hit “Nosebleeds” and fan favorites “Reflections” and “Our Own House.” Lee remains one of the best performers around in pop music, rivaling the likes of Hayley Williams and Robyn with her nearly relentless energy and vocals. “I can’t headbang in this fucking wig and it’s driving me crazy,” admitted Lee before powering through any follicular restraints to keep the show going smoothly. A stacked evening of booty-shaking pop music & Halloween hoots n’ hollers, Misterwives provided a heaping helping of thrills alongside openers Moody Joody and Joan. 

Check out all of Greg’s photos from the show below.

For more information you can follow Moody Joody here, keep up with Joan here and stay up to date with Misterwives here.