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.
Check out our photos from the show:
