By Lauren Moquin
Photos By Christine Varriale
It is hard to immediately say why a show could be so inspiring when the frontman barely lends a glimpse in the crowd’s direction.
Standing directly in front of the mic, Joe Casey’s mouth pulls down to one side and pours out a low registered line, winding it out to create a whole song. Occasionally, Casey will itch his face and reach down for a drink while the rest of the band moves furiously, often cross-eyed with emotion. For showgoers uninitiated with all things Protomartyr, I would hope that they would think Casey to be a genius, constantly pondering his powerful lyrics with occasional drink breaks amongst his storm of a band.
Our friends at
Boston Hassle set us up in a perfect place to take in the long awaited return of Protomartyr, beginning with local act The Channels. Their members contribute to a few other local bands (i.e. Designer and Guerrilla Toss) and the zany contrast in tones plays as proof; the trio provided anxious swirls of guitar waning in and out between their deep voiced singer. The band uses any opportunity to push the sound in directions that you had yet to expect, including introducing a plastic fork to their guitars. If you have never seen plastic utensils used in the process of a set, don’t sleep on The Channels.
Hailing from Detroit and neighboring Protomartyr, Growing Pains made for the poppier sound of the night. The keyboard played a more vital role live than in recordings, shaping the whole feel of their set immensely. Matching electronics with traditional punk elements proved incredibly satisfying, especially with the ascending bass thump and bright chords of “Forever and Always”, which found itself stuck in my brain for the next 48 hours.
Protomartyr stepped up with steadfast enthusiasm coming off of “Maidenhead”, the first song from their 2014 release, Under Color of Official Right. The most comforting aspect of this show though was that these songs that broke Protomartyr into popularity received the same reaction as songs off of their newest LP, The Agent Intellect. “The Hermit” revealed itself as one of the newer songs that could stand out as easily as old favorites. Pushing everyone to their full potential, the song explores the more devastatingly beautiful edge of the band’s songwriting and performance. Drummer Alex Leonard looked like if he had thrown in any more dedication, his arm would disconnect. Scott Davidson, swiftly paced back in forth with his bass in contrast to guitarist Greg Ahee, who hurled down as if in pain. Casey offered a closed eyed croon, gave the floor a look of disdain, and stared down until his time to add the voice again.
