Sometimes attending a show where you’re only familiar with some of the bands can be a blast. It’s hit or miss sure, viagra but the hits are thankfully more often than the misses. This past Tuesday night at O’Brien’s was full of all the international super hits with the bill of Lady Bones, Comma, Absolutely, and Trespasser. The show started out in a funny way, because Jeremy, the bassist of Lady Bones, somehow found himself stuck in the freight elevator of their practice space. Oops.
Trespasser began the evening with some familiar faces, Joey Gonzales of Fòrn and Great Scott fame and Matt Powell “New Guy” of Grass is Green. They play intriguing, noisy rock that is hard to pin down as just one type of way. The lead singer pranced around the stage, singing and screaming. The drumbeats were intricate, never staying at one tempo for very long, but they provided some fast, fun fills that fit in perfectly. Powell’s guitar work was as delicate as it was noisy. Even when the singer was screaming, the bass and guitar kept the songs grounded with everything surrounded by crashing drums creating some perfect cacophony. The small but enthusiastic crowd stayed for the whole night, which made the show feel very comfortable and inviting: the environment that should exist at every small show in Boston.
Sure this was my first time seeing Absolutely and even hearing them, but I can say that they are one of my new favorite musical discoveries. I left their set feeling like someone just invented electricity in front of me or something. These guys were THAT mind blowing. They were sometimes reminiscent of an early, sludgier Sonic Youth but would move into these long, crashing post-hardcore bits that felt like seeing Bitch Magnet. Absolutely’s exciting structure is full of breaks and pauses, building back together piece by piece to create something dynamic and layered but also very coherent and homogenous.
The guys in the band themselves were funny. They talked on stage about how much they love the Vietnamese food here in Boston. Their last song though: that really killed everyone. Everyone at the show is dead. I’m writing to you from the afterlife. It’s nice here by the way.
Comma provided a set to help calm everyone down from Absolutely. Their vocals were crooning at time over jangly guitars that would transform to a surf rock type of feel. Just like Trespasser, their sound is hard to pin point exactly, because it fluctuated often. I couldn’t help but observe the drummer through most of the set. He was very technically skilled and stoic. He barely moved his body, just his arms made quick movements from drum to cymbal and back, his feet bringing the bass drum hard. The guitarist’s finger tapping was also quite mesmerizing, making their act the most visually appealing of the evening.
Lady Bones are one of my current favorite local bands. They’re upping the amount of shows they play in the area, working on a record, and heading out on tour April 2nd, so make sure to keep up with what these guys are doing. They began their set by dressing up in style with fake mustaches. Jeremy wore his properly, whereas Egon decided to don his like a unibrow. Of all the bands of the night, Lady Bones are the easiest to swallow for the casual observer. Their noisiness is equal parts to their poppiness, making this guitar rock you can also dance to. The three dudes are straight up goofy on stage too. There were quite a few fart jokes and other gaffs I couldn’t make out from off stage. Between Sean, Egon and Jeremy, they’re all very uniquely intricate in their musicianship, creating the noisy vibe, but when the three of them play together, everything melds beautifully into one well-oiled rock machine. It’s impossible not to enjoy Lady Bones live with the three of them having such a fantastic time. All smiles came from Egon behind the kit, summing up how much fun the whole show was Tuesday night.
