Boston shoegazers Ohio State Fair headlined a stacked local bill at Somerville’s Warehouse XI this past Saturday. While recordings have yet to materialize from this young group, they have garnered a reputation around town for having an excellent live show, and their set on this night lived up to hype. Featuring three members of other must-see-live-act-without-any-songs-out-yet Pew Pew (who also make time in various other local groups), it comes as no surprise that they bring it on stage. However, it’s fronter Natasha Kafi’s use of the Omnichord (and a distinctive black one at that) that really puts Ohio State Fair in a league of their own. Run through guitar pedals to give it the distinctive glider-feel of shoegaze, the Omni’s symphonic-yet-digitally bit crunched sound carves out a unique slice of sonic real estate besides the heaving rush of their otherwise orthodox guitar/pedals/bass/drums alignment.

It’s not just funky instruments that kept me attention though: this four-piece has a bunch of capital “S” songs in their back pocket that some enterprising local label or another needs to snap up, and quick. Resembling classic 4AD bands like Lush, there’s a taut current cresting just underneath that shimmering guitar and key interplay, lead by a rhythm section that threads the needle of playing forcefully without disrupting the dreamy vibes. Rest assured, this will not be the last time you see Ohio State Fair on these digital pages.

AP faves Winkler batted second, playing tracks off one our favorite local releases of last year as well as a few golden oldies. As we yapped on Bluesky, these indie poppers just have a certain kind of swagger as a live unit that is positively infectious, and it’s almost impossible to stand still while they play. Expecting big things from them in 2025. Tiberius opened, and their sometimes twangy oftentimes explosive indie rock is always a pleasure to catch around town.