The Last Dinner Party performing at Roadrunner in Boston, MA. Photo by Samantha Davidson.
Singular London-based indie rock pioneers The Last Dinner Party stopped by Boston’s Roadrunner for a night of mischief and theatrics. The five-piece group last toured the US in 2024, leaving fans itching for a headline performance in support of their latest album, From The Pyre. Fans in medieval chains, red velvet, and corsets flooded into the very sold-out show right at doors.
The night began with Irish rock group Florence Road, who strutted out and immediately started shredding their lively discography. Songs like “Hanging Out to Dry” and “Rabbits Can Swim” showcased their knack for crafting both explosive and intimate ballads. Soon after, the lights dimmed again, and the audience released thunderous applause. Four members of The Last Dinner Party strutted on stage in flowy dresses, tricorn hats, skull scarves, and statement jewelry, bringing the electric track “Count the Ways” to life. They dedicated the love song “On Your Side” to bassist Georgia Davies, revealing that she is not touring with them due to a back injury. They invited Boston to “raise your glasses and hearts to Georgia and scream so loud she can hear you,” to which Boston delivered. This heartfelt moment reminded fans of the bond the members extend to their fans through their music and love for each other. Lead singer Abigail Morris was dedicated to the crowd, following a fan’s wish to deliver a dramatic reading of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 115 and walking across the barricade to sing “My Lady of Mercy” face to face with screaming fans later in the set.
Morris was in awe when she found out Boston was sold out earlier that morning, asking if anyone saw them in 2024 and thanking them “for bringing reinforcements.” The cheeky and bold show was the perfect marriage of drama, performance, stage presence, and connection. The group emerged for a final time to perform “This Is the Killer Speaking” before heading backstage for the night. Make sure to catch The Last Dinner Party live before the From the Pyre Tour ends in November. Buy tickets here.
Check out all of Samantha’s photos from the show below.
Twice member, Momo Hirai, looks out into the crowd as other members continue performing. April 4, 2026. Photo by JYP ENTERTAINMENT, BRENT GOLDMAN.
Currently out on their fourth world tour, THIS IS FOR, TWICE played TD Garden for two nights for their ONCE, who they have come to repay with TWICE the love for showing up for them. Fans of the girl group lined up on a windy Saturday night with arms open and ready to receive them on their second and last night in Boston, the first since their last world tour four years ago. Cheers erupted at the entrance as fans jumped ecstatically while others filmed TWICE’s choreography routines outside the venue, all of them waiting to enter the venue for a night that they had long anticipated.
Immediately as people walked in, they ran off to many places, either finding themselves buying merch or finding their seats to get comfortable. The group decided to use a two-shaped 360º stage to reach all of their fans around the stadium. Once everyone sat down and got ready, the show began with the screen flashing “TWICE THIS IS FOR,” glitching out and alternating the letters. Lights began to flicker and fill up the room from stage to balcony with blue and white flashes while the speakers played their album THIS IS FOR’s first track, “FOUR,” which lyrics asked fans: “Are you ready for the ride?”
The screen moved its way down, slowly descending until touching the stage and soon flashed with videos of each member. As each member was shown, more and more fans screamed at their favorite member until the screen turned transparent, prompting silence until the members of TWICE were revealed on-stage behind the screen. The built up anticipation was now broken by people standing up in unison ready to scream and dance to the first song.
Beginning with “THIS IS FOR,” some TWICE members moved around the stage freely while others sang. Every moment was distinguished by separate dance moves in perfect sync with each other in the center of the stage with feet kicking back at the same time to plant onto the floor for a twist to the next direction. The group immediately moved onto the next song, “Strategy.” The first two songs they performed have had a lot of social media success and popularity, meeting both the standards of fan favorites and songs for all to know and enjoy. The show continued on with the songs “SET ME FREE” and “MOONLIGHT SUNRISE,” both of which were released in 2023. The dance moves emphasized hand movements including the members putting their wrists together imitating handcuffs and sitting down to look around, overall slowing down the pace of the show.
Act I of the show concluded and would follow through Act IV. In between these acts, fans would sit down and wait until the house music lifted, people shooting out of their seats ready for the next act. Moments like military-style acting and dancing filled gaps in between acts, keeping the audience’s eyes going left, right and all around the stage that went from one side of the venue to the other. TWICE kept the audience under control and captivated at every second of the show by mixing a blend of more popular and fan-favorite numbers. Act III held a moment for each member to shine with seven members doing short solo songs with different vibes between each one, allowing fans to enjoy their favorite member solo.
Beyond performing their songs, TWICE ended their show with a fancam dance challenge and a TWICE in BOSTON Fan Video Project showcasing video submissions of many fans telling both their story behind how they discovered TWICE and how TWICE impacts their life. This brought the fans right into the show and further showed TWICE’s love for their supporters through connecting themselves and the audience together.
The performance was groundbreaking and left fans shaking and crying after an unforgettable night of dancing and screaming their lungs out to their favorite group. This further shows the influence and impact of TWICE in Boston where they have proved in Boston and beyond that ONCEs all over bring acceptance and love everywhere TWICE may go.
Singer-songwriter Hannah Cohen stopped by The Sinclair on Thursday April 9th for her first Massachusetts headliner. The evening proved to be a fittingly laid-back showcase of her fourth album Earthstar Mountain, a laconic ode to her home in the Catskill Mountains. The alt-pop duo mmeadows opened the show with a dreamy set, swimming in synth and drenched in blue light. They created an atmosphere that built a nice foundation the remainder of the night.
Hannah Cohen was quick to comment on her minimalistic onstage configuration. She called it her “Tiny Desk setup” before inviting mmeadows back on stage as her backing band. Together they performed a short-but-sweet 12-song set comprised primarily of material from Earthstar Mountain. Hannah Cohen addressed the setlist composition by joking that it was “a very new show, and you’re just going to have to deal with it.” With her angelic vocals and mmeadows imbuing the music with their own flavor, the mood in the venue was exceedingly relaxed. Cohen seemed surprised by the audience’s respectful calm at times, inspiring the quip “this is my Quaaludes set.” The crowd was indeed unusually quiet throughout the performance, erupting with a round of applause only when Cohen ended her set right at 10:00pm with no encore. That said, there was no doubt of their rabid appreciation.
Walking into the Paradise on April 8, 2026 for Welsh noise rock legends mclusky and Boston’s own rock heroes Pile, you had to hope that the walls had been reinforced. Although mclusky officially reformed in 2015, this is their first tour since releasing any post-reunion music. The band is touring behind the excellent 2025 album The World Is Still Here And So Are We and the 2026 EP I Sure Am Getting Sick Of This Bowling Alley. Pile, meanwhile, celebrated a hometown show in support of their recent Sunshine and Balance Beams. It was a chaotic night with two of rock’s wildest and most underappreciated groups playing together in one dangerous force.
Pile kicked off the show with a healthy 45-minute opening slot. Although they were touring behind their tremendous new album, they pulled from five of their records. The highlight of the set was frontman Rick Maguire dedicating the band’s 2012 hit “Prom Song” to mclusky and turning it into a medley with “Baby Boy” from the same album. It was a special set for Pile, who was (somehow) playing the Paradise for the first time. Their 2014 standalone single “Special Snowflakes” got a particularly big reaction from the crowd. They ended the set with 2019’s “The Soft Hands of Stephen Miller,” kicking off with a half-dozen rousing statements summed up in “fuck Stephen Miller and end American imperialism.” Long live Pile, Pile forever.
Mclusky came out of the gates swinging by kicking off their set with their biggest, best, and most riotous song, 2002’s “Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues.” The sub-2 minute punk bruiser already pushes the definition of intensity, but the band’s live version sees them playing the climax nearly twice as fast, to the point where frontman Andrew “Falco” Falkous doesn’t so much sing as just scream notes. It’s a hell of a way to make a statement for your set. All in all, the band actually played ten songs from their legendary 2002 album Mclusky Do Dallas, peppering in classics like “To Hell With Good Intentions,” “Gareth Brown Says” and “Alan Is A Cowboy Killer.”
Any fears that the crowd wouldn’t be up on the band’s newer tunes were quelled early when the band dipped into the raucous “Unpopular Parts of a Pig,” another of the biggest bruisers played that night. The audience ate up and appreciated the new tunes as much as the classics. The band played seven songs from their two new releases, incorporating tunes like “People Person,” “Way of the Exploding Dickhead” and “I Know Computer.” Mclusky’s set was extremely high-energy from start to finish with Falco’s screaming and the band’s punk sensibilities bringing utter chaos to a crowded Paradise.
Predictably, the night was filled with comedy as well. Mclusky introduced themselves as Kings of Leon, and when a fan said “I thought you were the Beatles,” Falco joked “don’t be fooled into thinking this is a two-way conversation.” At one point, the plexiglass wall separating drummer Jack Egglestone from his bandmates collapsed, which allowed Falco to do a tight five of crowd work on how many people were wearing caps inside and how they missed out on a merch opportunity. The band dedicated “Day of the Deadringers” to ‘the two pillars of UK nationalism’ – Eric Clapton and Morrissey – and bassist Damien Sayell took a moment to apologize for Ray Winstone’s accent in The Departed. The band’s music has always been a mix of anger and satire, and the crowd interactions throughout the night were both funny and genuine. The band are veterans at cooling things down in between songs.
Mclusky’s new album is titled The World Is Still Here And So Are We, and we should all be glad for it. There is a massive space in 2026 for mclusky’s blend of noise, punk, fury, wit and political songs, and they left it all on the table. Pile, who has remained a staple of the Boston music scene for many years now, continues to be at the top of their game. Nearly two decades in and Pile proved they are still a force to be reckoned with. Two of the best live bands in rock brought out two absolutely tremendous sets at one of the best shows the city of Boston has seen this year.
It’s arguable that Weakened Friends are one of Boston’s best kept secrets. Based between Portland and Beantown, they routinely sell out shows all over the New England Area with their electric energy and addicting hooks, and last fall’s Feels Like Hell LP has quickly become a regular listen for some on staff at the Pudding. Weakened Friends played several selections from it, including “Smoke and Mirrors”, “Weightless” and “NPC”. Once again, they added their indescribably fun cover of Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn” which really got the crowd going.
Supporting The Wonder Years on their cross-country, 10th anniversary tour for No Closer to Heaven, Weakened Friends added some real energy to start the night. Frontman Dan Campbell made a point during the main set to say “We don’t choose these bands lightly”, and it wouldn’t be so far fetched to see them headlining their own national tours soon enough. Fingers crossed, as no band is more deserving than Weakened Friends!
Meet Izzy “Isaballer” Pingrey, Boston University student by day and pop star by night. Although Izzy and her band hail from New York City, they–along with some of Izzy’s closest friends and family–come together for her Boston performances. Most recently, she headlined The Red Room at Café 939 on March 28. Izzy sat down with me post-show to talk work-life balance, inspiration, and aspirations.
How do you balance your academic and social life with your music career?
Some parts are easy, and others are hard because it’s geographically separated. My band is based in New York; we rehearse there, and I record there. When I’m at school, there’s not much music work, but I’m writing a lot. The big thing that’s balancing is my social media. I’m supposed to be making TikToks every single day, but I don’t because I’m a person. You have to look good, and I don’t look good most days. We choose to play 200 cap versus once every month or so, over 50 to 80 cap more frequently. So before the show, it’s my entire life and everything that’s going on. I’m not doing a good job at doing my homework because I’m content-batching ads for the show. That’s what the music industry is now. If you look at who the Grammy nominees were this year, it’s a make-or-break thing.
What made you decide to pursue a career in music?
There was never really a moment when I was like, “I want to pursue music.” It’s always been there. My dad has done that longer than I’ve existed. I did theater as a kid, then when I got older, I stopped, and then COVID hit. I was really obsessed with High School Musical: The Musical: The Series and Olivia Rodrigo, who, during COVID, started writing a song every day, which inspired me to start songwriting. My dad picked up on it and was like, “If you want, we can start doing an artist project.” I was like, “That sounds awesome.” I’m a perfectionist when it comes to my songs, so we would spend weeks on a song, only to scrap it. Even now, I don’t really see [music] as a career pursuit. It’s just something that’s always been. It wasn’t even a conversation until I started it myself. I think a lot of people think that I do it because my dad wants me to, but I actually think it would be way easier for him if I didn’t. I think that would make his life so much easier. He could spend that time with people who pay him.
We’ve been really close my whole life; I’m an only child. I’m close with both of my parents in different ways, but ever since I was young, my dad would always take me to the studio, and I would go sit in on stuff they were doing and be part of it. The music is also, naturally, how we spend our quality time and how we bond. It goes beyond rehearsing as a band. He’s present the entire time that we’re writing and recording. I do the lyricism, but he mixes and masters all of it. We both spend so much time with every single song, and it makes us really close that we share that, and then we go home, and we play it for my mom. He’s my BFF.
What do you envision as the ideal environment for somebody to listen to your music?
In your room by yourself. People always ask me why I make music, and I feel like the worst feeling ever is when you have something going on, positive or negative, and you wanna listen to music and think about it, and you can’t find anything. A lot of my songs get pretty broad, but the goal has always been to make it very broad and very specific at the same time. A lot of people that I’ve always looked up to are able to do that. It’s a really specific skill, and I don’t know if I’ve clicked it yet, but that’s what I want to do: make music that is so specific, but also that people can use to think about things, and that’s the best time to think, dance, and do everything is in your room. I’ve always said, I make teenage girl music. And there’s no better place to listen to teenage-girl music than teenage-girl rooms.
An alternative answer, where I like to listen to music, and where I like to listen to my music when I’m going over it, because when I’m in the process of making a song, I listen to it a thousand times so that I can fix everything. I listen to it on public transportation in New York City. My memory of falling in love with listening to music is from middle school, when I was too scared to take the subway, so I would take the M42 to the M15 bus back and forth from my middle school in the East Village. I don’t remember anything from middle school except commuting and listening to music. If you really want the Izzy Pingrey experience, go on the M42 with Bluetooth headphones. It will change your life.
Anything exciting coming up that you can talk about?
I’m working on an EP right now. I have a bunch of fun songs that I’m floating around that I’m trying to decide what’s gonna make the cut. I am extremely picky with my own music. Every time I’ve been home, I’ve been just trying to spend time in the studio, figuring stuff out. I did a single over spring break. There’s a demo for that.
What’s your favorite part of performing live?
I’ve played a bunch of different varieties of shows, but I really love the crowd consistently. But what about the crowd I love really changes because, depending on when and where I play, the percentage of the crowd that I know changes. My first shows were completely people I know. And then the same here, but as I played more and more in New York, I started adding support. When I first started headlining, I didn’t have openers, so I started adding support to bring new people to the crowd. But there’s something amazing about having my best friends in the front row. I just love being on stage and connecting with an audience, and that’s something I like about being smaller. I can see every single person in the crowd. I can see them dancing. It feels like one big hive mind of one person, and I’m just like doing a really small show. It’s a beautiful thing to work really hard at something and have people in your life care and show up. Also, hanging out with my dad is my favorite part.
Live music is about connection. There’s something special about connecting in that way with the people in my life I see and talk to every day. My friend Ryan has this catchphrase: “Jeez Louise and cream cheese.” I said it on stage at The Middle East, and he was there, and he got really excited. Just doing stuff to shout people out. Sometimes I pick covers that are tributes to a specific person. “Brazil” is a cover I play a lot, and I first played it as a tribute to my friend Molly, who I’ve known for a really long time and who also directed the “Opposite in Love” video.
If you could describe your artist identity in three words, what would they be?
Spunky, messy, methodical.
Do you have any funky pre-show rituals?
I do “crazy 8’s,” the theater thing, before every show. I started doing that at my first show, and I remember it had a significantly higher turnout than I was anticipating. It was at the Slipper Room in New York, which is a burlesque club.
I know the Slipper Room. Audrey Hobert performed there.
I didn’t get tickets, and I’ve played there more times than she has!
Bucket list items for your career?
I used to do an interpretive dance in the basement of a church in the East Village. It’s actually the Patty Smith church. Across the street from that church is Webster Hall, and I’ve just always wanted to play at Webster Hall. Also, my first concert was at Irving Plaza, and my grandpa’s name was Irving, who’s my namesake. So that would be really cool, emotional, and awesome. Either one of those two places, because I would pass them all the time in childhood. I used to walk past Webster Hall every day and be like, I really wanna play there someday, when I was like nine. I make a vision board every year and put Webster Hall on it, just in case. I don’t particularly seek fame. I actually think I would hate it. I like attention on stage because it feels like a persona, and it’s fun, and it’s the art that I’m doing, but the idea of the rest of life being followed sounds horrible. My big goal is to get to a point where I can be playing out where I wanna play, but eventually I wanna be an Amy Allen. The behind-the-scenes part is what I prefer anyway, and I could still be doing studio stuff, small acoustic sets, Tiny Desk, or whatever. I would love to be Marshmello. Who the fuck is Marshmello? No one knows.
Check out Hannah’s photos from Izzy Pingrey’s show at The Red Room at Café 939 on March 28, 2026 below
Nothing performing at The Sinclair on April 2, 2026. Photo by Miguel Gonzales
It’s always a learning experience when you’re in between the generational crossfire of young and old shoegazers. The face of a sweet 35-year-old man lights up when he converses with an audience member 13 years younger than him, as he notices the young man’s bootlegged My Bloody Valentine shirt. They throw around a handful of recommendations beyond the world of shoegaze, are curious about the openers they’ve never heard of, and buzz with enthusiasm to catch the Philadelphia shoegaze veterans Nothing, who swung back to The Sinclair for another round on April 2nd.
The Philadelphia shoegaze scene doesn’t feel like a best-kept secret anymore. The ever-evolving DIY subculture has spurred a new inception of exciting bands elevating the typical shoegaze sound: think of Bleary Eyed, They Are Gutting A Body Of Water, Her New Knife, Halloween, Knifeplay, Blue Smiley, or even Spirit of the Beehive’s mid-2010 run of releases. The hub expanded further in the 2020s when Douglas Dulgarian (of TAGABOW) founded the independently-owned record label Julia’s War in 2021, assisting with physical distribution and releases for emerging talent beyond the world of shoegaze and Philly representation. Before any of these bands formed or Dulgarian’s label was even conceived, there were two Philly bands that led the ethereal, pedal-heavy ship: A Sunny Day In Glasgow, and for our purposes, Nothing.Since the early 2010s, Nothing has been an integral part of defining the early heavy-hitting sounds of American shoegaze and predicting what was to come. With their debut Guilty of Everything and fantastic split with California shoegazers Whirr, both released in 2014, to The Great Dismal in 2020, it feels like they have yet to miss a mark within the six year span. They definitely aren’t ready to slow down, freshly coming off this year’s A Short History of Decay, their debut with Boston label Run For Cover. Currently touring for the album and making a stop in Boston, Nothing still brings the blitzing momentum and deafening wall of sound after years of stirring up energizing performances to the extreme. On this tour, Nothing also brings along three openers that are exciting in their own right.
Violent Magic Orchestra performing at The Sinclair on April 2, 2026. Photo by Miguel Gonzales
Kicking the night off around 8 PM was Osaka’s black metal-slash-gabber group Violent Magic Orchestra who unleashed a flood of strobing lights and opened up the pit in an unconventional style. Melding together an intense hybrid of throbbing gabber, distorted black metal, glistening and poppy techno, industrial textures with plenty of high-pitched shrieks and raspy screams – the music is overwhelming in its own right, but the theatrics were something else. With the exception of vocalist Zastar, the other members have their faces caked in black metal corpse paint and decked out in their own merchandise. Paired with projected high-strung graphics from visual artist Kezzardix, a flashlight show, and propped-up strobe lights that flickered throughout the venue – VMO turned The Sinclair into a crazy black metal rave night. Just picture Fenriz of Darkthrone blasting IDM and hardcore techno cuts from a Pioneer deck, drenched in the coolest cacophony of epileptic lighting and wispy fog. What surprised me was only six people plunged into the well-formed pit, even after two members of the group hopped off stage to get the party started. How do you stand there and willingly choose not to join in?
Cryogeyser performing at The Sinclair on April 2, 2026. Photo by Miguel Gonzales
Going from the overtly hyper Violent Magic Orchestra to the extremely mellow Cryogeyser around 9:00 is probably the most devilish whiplash you’ll experience from a four-band bill. The Los Angeles dream pop three-piece’s set was as chill as the night would get – Shawn Marom carrying the torch with her airy, punctual vocal melodies and shimmering chorus guitar tones. Zack Capitti-Fenton always makes sure to lay down some punctuated and somewhat forceful hi-hat taps and snare hits, with Samson Klitsner plucking some occasional fat tones out of her bass. “Too Much,” “Blue Light,” and the fan-favorite “Leach” were some of my favorite tracks the band played during their set, as hues of blue and purple slowly shifted and a trippy 40-minute visual projected behind them to set the relaxed mood. I was attentive to Marom’s collection of pedals sitting in front of the stage, especially when she put them to use by modulating her voice to create backup harmonies on-the-spot or loop certain phrases. It wasn’t hard to catch a vibe from Cryogeyser, but they were a pleasant addition to the lineup for sure.
full body 2 performing at The Sinclair on April 2, 2026. Photo by Miguel Gonzales
It was thrilling to hear Nothing brought on Philadelphia’s very own Full Body 2 to open for their tour as they took the stage around 9:45. Thinking about the advancement, constant experimentation and future of the shoegaze sound, Full Body 2 has their finger on the pulse. The quartet have the loud dynamics, blurry soundscapes and distorted tones all locked down, but what makes them such a refreshing modern act is their maximalist sound design and distinctly electronic-leaning instrumentation. It’s not just in their recorded music, but their live set never sacrifices the digital utopian transcendence they’ve brewed up. As the flashing neon pinks, blues and whites coat the silhouettes of each band member, their dense songs fit perfectly with their visual radiance. The sampler magic, whirling synthesizer leads, icy ambient pads, heavy tones and floating vocals from Dylan Vaisey and Cassidy Hammond coalesce to Full Body 2 as an exhilarating, original voice in the current shoegaze canon. It isn’t difficult to say that Full Body 2 had the best set of the night, or feel puzzled as to why Nothing included them in the lineup. I’m still trying to shake off how good they were days later.
The lights dim to a faint black around 10:40 with Daniel Johnston’s “Devil Town” soundtracking Nothing’s eerie entrance. Once the five-piece settles around the wall of large amplifiers and finishes setting up, a large buildup of feedback crescendos, tailing at the end of Johnston’s song as a launching-off point for their opener, “July The Fourth.” Cam Smith (of Cloakroom) goes ham, jolting back-and-forth on stage with his guitar in-the-air and throwing it around. Bobb Bruno (of Best Coast) strums some meaty bass grooves, while frontman-slash-founding member Domenic Palermo and Doyle Martin (of Cloakroom) harmonize with each other and dish out blaring guitar tones. Nothing began to delve into an assortment of songs from the Nothing catalog with the iconic “Downward Years To Come” and “Famine Asylum” a few tracks after “July The Fourth” – most of the songs in the setlist coming off of their latest album. What I liked was how seamless and purposeful the setlist was in terms of transitioning into different moods – the calamitive and hair-raising “Hymn to the Pillowry” going into the drum-and-gaze “cannibal world” was pretty cool. An uproar of folks yelling for Nothing to come out for an encore was prevalent, one guy in the crowd hurling a huge “what the fuck.” They’d eventually come out to officially close their set off with “A.C.D. (Abcessive Compulsive Disorder),” which they were met with a great applause. It was incredible to attend a Nothing concert again filled with moshers and stagedivers, and being able to rock out to the blown-out riffs and droning ambience. It’s also interesting to note the band is in a clear transitional period. Their lineup of band members is different, the new album is a slight detour from their original sound, and they’re fully embracing an eclectic bill. If it wasn’t for the Burial, Babyfather and Gillian Welch earworms during intermission, it’s clear that Nothing is still influenced by the past and the future even if they’re pushing 20 years into the shoegaze game. They’re still kicking it, and they’re growing with us too.
Check out all of Miguel’s photos from the show below.
On March 20, singer-songwriter Eliza McLamb graced the stage at The Sinclair for the first show of her Good Story Tour and celebrated her recent sophomore album of the same title. Fans buzzed in the audience, making guesses about what would be on the setlist and the kind of outfit McLamb might appear in. Eventually, McLamb took the stage donning her own merch: a flowy black skirt and her signature singular-blond-streaked hair. McLamb performed nearly every track from her latest project, sprinkled in a few fan-favorites from her 2024 album Going Through It, and played the title track from her Salt Circle EP. Although McLamb’s discography ranges from fast-paced and upbeat to slower, softer songs, her entire catalog is incredibly lyrically focused. During her less instrumental and more vocally heavy tracks, fans quietly, in order to listen intently to each lyric, recited every complex line verbatim along with McLamb while gazing up at her in utter awe. Finally, McLamb strummed the first chord from her viral track “Mythologize Me.” The entire venue gasped, cheered, and loudly sang along as the show came to a close.
“This is different…for us” Wednesday’s lead singer Karly Hartzman acknowledged to a sold out Roadrunner audience. The gig might’ve fallen on April Fools, but it was no joke: For a band that’s toured rooms as small as Boston’s Hardcore Stadium, something had clearly shifted. The crowd was packed in so far by the barricades that it was nearly impossible to leave the front, and the merch line stretched far upstairs. Everyone had refreshed their drinks ahead of the set to make sure they didn’t miss a beat.
Backdropped by decor reminiscent of your least favorite grandmother’s house – loud wallpaper, unsettling paintings, and vintage dolls – Wednesday let it rip even in this new echelon of fame.
The band embraced the spirit of the holiday by opening coyly with a cover of MJ Lenderman’s “Manning Fireworks”. They mostly played selections from their latest album Bleeds including “Elderberry Wine” and “Candy Breath” but mixed deeper cuts like “Fate Is…” for the hardcore fans in the audience. Most amusing selection by far went to their cover of “she’s acting single / I’m drinking double”, which as it turns out, is well suited to the stylings of shoegaze.
Liza Levy, President of Salt Lick Incubator. Photo by Hannah Sender
Salt Lick Incubator is a Boston-based nonprofit supporting emerging musicians by providing grants, mentorship, and career development opportunities. Founded by former Berklee College of Music President Roger Brown, Salt Lick aims to allow artists to create high-quality music and content without the constraints of traditional label contracts. On March 27th, Salt Lick brought two of its performers, Claire Ernst and Dani Offline, to The Umbrella Arts Center in Concord, MA, for “Salt Lick Sessions.” The performance, the finale of this season’s Salt Lick partnership within The Umbrella Concert Series, took place in The Umbrella’s 350-seat theater, an intimate setting for showcasing rising artists. The concert followed a sold-out Jon Batiste headline performance earlier in the series this past February. Both artists performed 45-minute sets, often interacting with the audience. Salt Lick Sessions are recorded and available on Salt Lick’s YouTube channel.
Claire Ernst
Meet singer-songwriter Claire Ernst, New Jerseyan turned Tennessean. Claire’s ability to write upbeat, silly tracks as well as somber, vocally intense ballads is a testament to her artistic versatility and uniqueness. Before she took the stage, I talked to Claire about her new single and what’s to come on her next album.
Claire Ernst by Hannah Sender
Congratulations on your newest single. What inspired its sound and theme?
The content is about material things. The two words that I described to my producers were sparkly and colorful, with emphasis on sparkly. I wanted it to sound like sequins.
I’ve never heard anyone describe a song’s texture before. That’s exactly how it sounds. Is there a lyric that you’ve written that feels especially personal to you?
From my song “Funny Now” on my debut album, I wrote that one fully alone the day after the election, so I was feeling a lot of feelings. In the pre-chorus, it says, “I never ask for help, so I stare at crooked shelves.” That describes me well because I do have trouble asking for help, and I end up reaping the consequences. Something I’m learning as I grow older is that it’s okay to ask for help, ask questions, and admit you can’t do it all.
Is what’s on the horizon similar or different from your debut album?
My debut album served its purpose in introducing everything I can do and love about music, along with its different facets. I want my next project to define my artist identity. I want it to corner my own market sound-wise. I want it to be extremely atmospheric.
What artists or genres have you been listening to lately that have been inspiring you?
A huge inspiration for this next album, production-wise, is Japanese House’s In the End, ItAlways Does. That was my album of the year—also, Saylor. I was in her 0.1% of listeners last year. She takes a lot of risks in the way that she writes, and I want to be a bit looser form-wise. Nashville can be very strict on form, and I want to relax some of those boundaries.
What is your ideal environment for songwriting?
For “Funny Now,” and a couple of songs on my upcoming album, I like to be in the room with my producer, Justin ‘Dustin’ Johnson. For “Funny Now,” I was in the back of the room, and he had his back to me the whole time. The track was looping, and I was in my own little world. I don’t have to talk to anybody. I don’t have to text anybody. I’m just in rhyme zone with my journal. Or, in my home in New Jersey, at my childhood piano with a notepad.
What is a creative risk you’ve taken recently?
I haven’t taken it yet, but the trio for my album is gonna be my boyfriend, who goes by Huron John, Dustin, and then me. My boyfriend takes a lot of production risks that I don’t, so he’s definitely gonna push the boundary. The other day, he was like, “Have you ever tried a hard auto-tune on your vocal?” And I was like, “No.” And that’s a very Saylor thing to do if you listen to her album. So, taking production risks with my vocal chain. I also tend to start songs with keys and vocals, and I’m trying to break that habit.
How do you approach connecting with your audience when you’re performing?
I love to talk during my sets. Being honest and vulnerable on stage about what the song’s about, and then also just really trying to look at people. When I first started performing, I was doing the theater hack of looking at the back of the room. And I think I’ve finally let that go. Like during my song “Girl in the Bathroom,” connecting with the women in the room. Or if I’m introducing my song “Boots,” which is about my boyfriend, asking who’s in love, and dedicating it to those people.
Claire Ernst by Hannah Sender
Dani Offline
Meet singer-songwriter, producer, and child prodigy Dani Offline. Dani was born in Alabama and raised in Washington, D.C. and Florence, Italy. Graduating from Princeton before even turning 18, Dani is a worldly, intelligent, and undeniably formidable breakthrough act. Before her first performance in Boston, Dani and I talked career milestones and creative process.
Dani Offline by Hannah Sender
For somebody who’s just getting into your music, where would you direct them to start?
Can I have them listen to other people first? *Laughing.* I’d probably tell them to listen to either my new single, “Angel,” coming out on April 24th. Or “Plastic/Bending,” a song I feel really proud of. I love the concept; it’s who I am, in terms of sound and concept. People ask what it’s about, and I’m always like, “What do you think it’s about?” I like hearing people’s interpretations.
Where do you draw conceptual inspiration from?
I’m a big reader. I love listening to and reading music. I journal a lot. I like to write poetry, so a lot of my songs start there.
You’re a songwriter and a producer. Which one of those things came first, and what led you from one to the other?
Playing instruments came first, and then songwriting. There was a moment when I decided I wanted more control over how the song sounded and came across, so that’s when I started getting into production.
What has been the most surprising thing so far that you’ve experienced in your career?
I’ve surprised myself by how hard I can work. Saying to myself, “I want this, and I’m not afraid to pursue it.” It’s been interesting and surprising where my music has taken me; I’ve never played in Boston before. I’ve also met some people who I listen to all the time, and they’re like, “I love your music.” And I’m like, “How do you know me?” That’s always surprising: Meeting other artists and connecting with them.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
This interview with you.
You’re too sweet. That can’t be the real answer, though.
I’m just living my dream. You’re interviewing me, and you took photos of me backstage at this show that has, like, 250 people coming, and it’s fancy, and we took pictures in front of a step-and-repeat. Things like that make me feel like a real artist. Other than that, I’m finishing my album. It’s my best work, and I’m really excited for it to be out in the world.
