On Sunday night, King Tuff played Brighton Music Hall with Cut Worms and Sasami Ashworth in support of their latest record, The Other.

Having recently left indie rock band Cherry Glazerr to pursue her own musical interests, Ashworth’s opening slot for King Tuff marked the first venture into her solo career. Trading in her signature keyboard for a guitar, Ashworth held her ground against the crowd, embracing her nerves wholeheartedly. After announcing that her parents were in the audience, Ashworth said she would be censoring her songs by replacing “f***ing” with “frogging,” joking that “my parents still think I’m a virgin.” In between banter with the crowd and songs about ”frogging,” Ashworth proved herself a capable solo artist, and showed off her talent as both a guitarist and vocalist.

Following Ashworth, Cut Worms went on stage, bringing an entirely different, but welcome, charming mid-western energy to be venue. Led by the brilliantly creative Max Clarke, Cut Worms slowed things down with a warm, emotionally dense, and seemingly simple set. Dressed in boots, sweaters, and denim, the band gently rocked and swayed in place as they performed songs from their May release, Hollow Ground, sounding like a modern mix between Johnny Cash and The Traveling Wilburys.

But despite the crowd’s appreciation for both openers, it was clear that everyone was there to see King Tuff. After spending a half hour clearing out Cut Worm’s gear, King Tuff finally walked on to a dimly lit stage. The serene sound of gently ringing bells echoing throughout the venue as singer Kyle Thomas stepped up to the microphone. Dressed head to toe in bedazzled accessories and a flashy orange suit, Thomas opened the set with a meditative performance of “The Other,” barely taking notice of the crowd. When the song ended, the lights flashed brighter and Thomas looked up, breaking out of his trance and smiling to the crowd.

Once underway, the show immediately began to pick up speed. Thomas radiated with his usual bubbly energy from the front of the stage, with power duo guitarist Nicole Lawrence and bassist Adrien Young playing shoulder-to-shoulder on his right. Returning to the stage on the keyboard, Ashworth held the left side, dressed in a black and white keyboard-patterned cloak, with Evan Taylor on drums in the back. The band primarily played new material, with standout tracks including the catchy “Psycho Star,” and the cosmic “Infinite Mile,” which features Thomas on the wacky “electric slide whistle.” After a brief retrieve around 11:00pm, King Tuff creeped back onto the stage for a three song encore of old material including “Eyes of the Muse,” “Sun Medallion,” and “Bad Thing,” jamming loud and proud on these fan favorites to end the night.

See below for photos from the show: