You know when you’re about to do a thing, generic but your expectations are so high that you don’t even want to do it because you know there’s no possible way it could ever live up to how you’ve built it up in your head? It’s kind of like having a celebrity crush but never, and ever wanting to meet that celebrity, because they’ll inevitably let you down.
What I’m trying to say is that I was a nervous wreck heading into the sold-out Hop Along show at Great Scott on Friday. I mean, I was fine, I was great, but I had no idea how to curb my expectations for a band that I’ve been so excited about for two years but had never experienced live.
Hop Along first hit the national scene after gaining a fair amount of critical acclaim for their self-released (!) debut LP, Get Disowned, in 2012. I don’t know how they got on my radar, but I do remember the first time I heard “Tibetan Pop Stars”– I remember thinking, Wow, there’s actually nothing quite like this. As a music writer, parallels and comparisons are part of the job when describing an artist, so when a certain band leaves me flummoxed and fumbling for words, I know it’s gotta be a special one.
The combination of frontwoman Frances Quinlan’s ferocious howl, Joe Reinhart’s rich, acrid guitar riffs, and Mike Quinlan’s loud, unrelenting drums make for a live experience that fully capture, even surpass, the sheer fire of their live show.
And apparently, I wasn’t the only one completely bowled over by Hop Along’s performance– the crowd, one of the largest I’ve seen at Great Scott, was nearly silent in between songs, breaking the spell only to shout the lyrics along with Frances as the band powered through much of their excellent new album, Painted Shut. Even my friend who had never heard Hop Along stood transfixed by the sound in front of her, pausing only for a moment to lean over and whisper, “That voice.”
And if that weren’t enough, I also got to watch a great opening set from fellow Philadelphians Thin Lips, and an additionally great set from Palehound, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite acts to see in Boston. If you haven’t yet gotten the chance to see Ellen Kempner play guitar at a tiny bar in Allston or Cambridge, a) you are making a mistake, and b) you had better hurry up and fix it, because Palehound is just going to get bigger.
All things considered, one of the best shows of the year so far, in a year filled with incredible music and even more incredible shows. I could try to describe it some more for you, but at this point, I’ll let you formulate your own expectations.
