Viet Cong stopped by Great Scott early to shoot a This or That video with us. Watch the guys choose between apples and oranges, see drug classic or indie rock, purchase and other important/life-changing decisions.
Every now and then there is a band discovered out of the blue through a friend that latches onto you like a leech. I mean this in a positive way. Are there good leeches? In 2013, I went to Middlesex Lounge for a show my friend Mike booked. He had been raving about this new band Viet Cong, an off-shoot of Women. Between their chaotic grooves and the background of Godard’s Pierrot le Fou, I was hooked.
Several months later, I’ve seen Viet Cong three times over the course of one month in three different cities, two different countries. Unfamiliar with the other two bands on the bill at Great Scott, Viet Cong was enough of a draw for me to try on some new music. The evening began with Boston’s own Alosi Den who is featured on our most recent mixtape. They experiment with the psychedelic, the carefully crafted angular guitars and fuzzy vocals, pairing well with Viet Cong and TV Ghost. It was chill, but the audience felt itself moving in unison, heads bobbing slowly but tactfully at every beat. The high point of the set was during the penultimate track that began with samples of an old broadcast or something similar. Beautiful guitar melodies kept their groove flowing and prepared the crowd for the spectacle they were about to encounter next: TV Ghost.
TV Ghost hails from Indiana and is currently on tour with Viet Cong. Their name just fits. They have a spooky, dark vibe with pounding drumbeats, haunting vocals and angular guitars; imagine a spookier My Bloody Valentine. All members of the band controlled their space on stage. The lead guitarist shuffled his way back and forth, the bassist kept his place ground, the drummer rambled on, and the lead singer/second guitarist carved a large space of the stage for himself. There wasn’t a moment he stood still, and his role as conductor and performer was taken to another level. There were acrobatic dance moves involving flailing back and forth, reaching his neck out into the audience and leaning his guitar against the amp to get loud feedback. The audience kept feet from the stage, maybe afraid to move closer. This was a performance that needed space to become its own.
Viet Cong initially had some technical difficulties involving a busted kick drum pedal, but they made a flawless introduction because of it. Guitarists Danny and Monty took the stage first and went straight into their guitar parts of what would become the first song. Michael on drums and Matt on vocals/bass joined. I recognized the first song as their usual set closer and thought that was strange. Soon into the set, the band explained that they were playing their usual set list back to front. Bands often change up a set, but I’ve never encountered a complete 180. Viet Cong pounded hard on their instruments from the get-go. For a band that doesn’t move too much, they pack a lot of punch to their respective instruments. It’s hard not to focus all your attention on Danny, whose guitar work is a beautiful mix of handcrafted melodies and technical excellence. You wonder how one person can produce these sounds from a guitar without fucking up every few riffs. The course vocals from Matt give Viet Cong the edge that it needs. These aren’t art rock melodies fronted by anyone.
This night of pure joy, fuzz, and fancy guitar work couldn’t have been more perfect. Be on the lookout for Viet Cong’s full-length debut due out later this year.
