“We sat on a ferry all day,” said Sadie Dupuis mid-set and laughing. In Irish tradition, a man clutching a pint at the back of the room shouted “Shame,” and more laughing fell out from all sides. The opening band Trust Fund had apparently played two shows that day, which was worth shouting out but also reacting to. “Everyone’s working harder than us,” Sadie added. “So, I’m gonna put so much into this song that it’ll be as if we played two shows today.”
Then they played “Dvrk Wvrld,” and everyone leaned in.
SPOILER ALERT: Speedy Ortiz is beyond doing well. The Masachusetts-made “snack rock” crew is halfway through a European tour, stopping in places as crucial as Berlin and as “why not?” as Bologna. Although the trip isn’t Speedy’s first stint across the pond, this fall marks a special point in the band’s timeline. After releasing their third full-length Foil Deer, which arguably houses Speedy’s catchiest songs to date, the members seem to be striking a balance between knowing their talent and humbly laughing through the fact that so many have picked up on it.
At least, that’s what I experienced Saturday night at Whelans, a small venue in Dublin where the sole house music was, oh-so-appropriately, “Once in a Lifetime” by Talking Heads.
The room resembled a less dim Great Scott with velvet curtains and a bar I could legally purchase from. Over the two opening sets from Oh Boland and Trust Fund, the room filled comfortably with a relaxed crowd. We hugged the stage in a room where any view would make for a good one as several neighbors admitted to this being their first time seeing the band. I watched two roadies tune guitars and plug objects into boxes, setting the context to “all grown up.” Just as the band was far from home, so followed the crowd’s vision of Speedy as a distant fandom finally coming back to play in their city. The noise-rockers entered to an applause, shredded “Taylor Swift,” and greeted with a “Hi, we’re Speedy Ortiz,” like the next-tier group they evidently now are. I tried hard not to view the group as “local” because, for my first time, it technically wasn’t.
That said, the opening half of Speedy’s set was something a smart, professional, and international band would whip out. Crowd-pleasers like “The Graduates” and “Raising the Skate” answered an unspoken request for something infectious to put our beers down to. I assume this only because many of us did put our beers down about four songs in when drummer Mike Falcone stopped to tie his shoes. Even professionals have to sweat the small stuff.
All four members were extremely composed, channeling their efforts completely into sound, making this show the cleanest I’d ever heard the band. Bass-based “Puffer” was one of the most applauded of the night, perhaps for its near-perfect instrumental balance but also probably due to it being a well-written favorite in the room. During these Foil Deer songs, Sadie rocked back and forth in her alphabet socks while keeping on-mic almost as visual proof that, though mobile these days, the band is still grounded as hell.
This quality came on full display when all was loosened up for the group’s older stuff. Guitarist Devin McKnight and bassist Darl Ferm quite literally wound up before swinging into “Tiger Tank,” the song that I most often point to when looking for a definition of Boston rock. As Sadie broke into an on-stage wander, the group threwback to a louder, more collaborative vibe. Had I squinted hard enough during “Plough” and “Indoor Soccer,” the venue would have melted into Great Scott. That’s how present the “which pole are we trying to collapse tonight?” mentality seemed.
However, the best part was how supportive the crowd was for this band’s noisy roots. By the end of the set, almost every head bobbed, several legs shyly danced and I recall the sound of two dropped beers. Both instances were probably accidental, but I prefer to think the magic of Speedy Ortiz made everyone’s palms sweaty.
“We have one more left,” said Sadie, not laughing but smiling. “It’s nice to be in Dublin again.” As she and the band left us with “American Horror,” I thought back to approximately one year ago when I saw Speedy Ortiz for the first time in Allston. I had just started taking interest in Boston music and wore a large backpack for no reason at all. Standing beside my mentor, looking at Sadie in her pink Nicki Minaj wig, listening to the crazy noise that’s now spreading like wildfire, I remember feeling weirdly proud of whatever I was becoming a part of.
As proven by this show in Dublin, Speedy’s international status and an ocean’s length simply cannot diminish that feeling. I left happy, hypnotized and with sweaty palms.
