Last Wednesday, The Black Lips returned to Boston to open for The Black Angels at Royale Boston, playing a different but equally entertaining show as last May’s wild performance with Surfbort at Brighton Music Hall. With doors at 7:30pm, the nightclub slowly began to fill up and was just beginning to reach capacity as the band stepped out from behind the curtains an hour later. Decked out in a mix of Converse, cowboy boots and bare feet, The Black Lips immediately drew the crowd’s attention with their legendary stage presence, as vocalist and bass player Jared Swilley griped the microphone and started the show.
Kicking things off, The Black Lips played a few fan favorites including “Modern Art” and “Family Tree” from 2011’s Arabia Mountain, energizing the crowd and bringing the mosh pit to life. As the night went on, the band continued to feed off of this energy, screaming, sweating, and kicking their way through the jam-packed setlist. Power-couple guitarist Cole Alexander and saxophonist Zumi Rosow dominated the right side of the stage, while drummer Oakley Munson held the center, and Swilley and a newly added touring guitarist held the left. By the time they reached the halfpoint, the band was bursting with energy and began busting out some of their notorious stage antics, with Alexander and Roscow making out while Munson subtly chugged from a red can of gasoline from behind his drum kit. Likewise, Swilley had some fun, sharing beers with the band’s barefooted sailor-suited touring guitarist, jumping off a tall stack of amps, gifting his Bolo tie to a confused fan, and pulling out a pocket comb to slick back his hair between songs.
Other highlights from the set included two of the band’s best known and rowdiest songs, “Katrina” and “Raw Meat,” both of which brought further pandemonium to the mosh pit. And although more laid back and reserved, “Crystal Night” from 2017’s Satan’s Graffiti Or God’s Art? also stood out, with Swilley and Rosow singing a duet, accompanied by Alexander with a lung full of squeaky helium-filled backing vocals.
The Black Lips continue their tour with The Black Angels this month, heading southwest to Tennessee, North Carolina, Florida, and eventually back their hometown for the Atlanta Music Festival on April 28, so catch them if you can.
See below for photos from the show: