Blondshell (photo by Greg Wong)

Sunday at Boston Calling was swamped. Well, that’s only part true. Away from the teeming chaos of the joint Red and Green area, lay the oasis of the Blue Stage. There, Blondshell churned out brilliant 90s inspired alternative rock at 5:50 pm. The style was akin to Hole, Blur, and The Cranberries, with contemporary influences such as Bully, with whom they collaborated earlier this year on a song called “Docket.” Peep the “official visualizer. ” 

They started their set with the grunge pomp of “Veronica Mars,” named after the 2004 show with the iconic indie rock soundtrack. They followed with another TV-titled tune called “Cartoon Earthquake,” which ripped. The charismatic Sabrina Teitelbaum’s unique, haunting, cliché-free lyrics stood out. Here’s the chorus of “Cartoon Earthquake”:

“If a rock hit the ground/ And split like a hairline fracture/ A cartoon earthquake now/ It’s me that you’d run after/ And jump the gap/ To get to my half/I wanna trust that.”

I’m guessing this is not going to be their publicist’s favorite takeaway, but one of the best parts was getting away from the Red and Green stage’s massive crowds. We were glad to be able to check out this band in a separate, spacious setting. 

We’re not the only ones who dug it. Here’s four quotes from the audience that I overheard after their set:

“They were so good!”

“That was worth it!”

“That was fun!”

“That was so good, I love Blondshell!”