The first Thursday this May was a throwback night of sorts at Strange Matter, but (thankfully) instead of mediocre cover bands and DJs, the bill was stocked with acts heavily influenced by the altroc
The first Thursday this May was a throwback night of sorts at Strange Matter, but (thankfully) instead of mediocre cover bands and DJs, the bill was stocked with acts heavily influenced by the altrock sounds of the early and mid 90’s.
Touring in support of their new album Foil Deer, Speedy Ortiz headlined the show, bringing along fellow Bostonians Krill, with local acts Teen Death and Candy Spots opening.
The night began with a set from Candy Spots (pictured below). Working with a skeleton crew three-piece lineup (missing their usual keyboardist and bassist, with rhythm guitarist Jonathan Tallert standing in for the latter) their sound was more straightforward rock than the usual mellow psychedelic sound.
At times the stripped down instrumentation worked, with lead guitarist Joe Norkus’ lead guitar work taking center stage and the sound approaching something like early Yo La Tengo, and atothers. But the importance of the missing band members was clear, as some songs sounded in real need of some filling out.
Despite the limitations, Candy Spots set the mood nicely for the rest of the evening.
Next up was Teen Death (pictured below), another Richmond band whose been making the rounds recently. They burned through a set of short, highenergy bursts of grimy, feeback heavy, crunchy riffs reminiscent of the heaviest Nirvana tracks overlaid with melodic notquitepop punk vocals.
Teen Death had a much darker aesthetic and sound than the rest of the bill, but rather than seeming out of place, they added some interesting stylistic diversity to the show.
Then it was on to the touring acts.
First up was Krill, a Boston-based three piece. Taking a break from the Paper Boy machine (they hopped back on it after their set), they got the stillgrowing crowd going with highenergy songs featuring tight guitar and drum work built around lead singer/bassist Jonah Furman’s (pictured below) distorted, driving bass lines.
The overall sound was something like a modern take on Dinosaur Jr; upbeat and bouncy music, lyrics bouncing between tongue in cheek and nervous frustration, and high pitched nasal vocals that could seamlessly transition to a snarling growl and back again.
Finally, Speedy Ortiz took the stage. Two years removed from the critically acclaimed Major Arcana, they’re back with Foil Deer, which takes their woozy, secretly-kinda-proggy sound and expands on it, adding more varied sounds and styles to what is a solid sonic foundation.
Playing Strange Matter for the 5th time, Speedy Ortiz’s set was a mix of songs from the last two albums with a stress more towards the new material. The sound stuck pretty to closely to the recorded versions of the songs, but that’s not a complaint.
On the albums, the songs seem to flow really naturally, and seeing the dexterity it actually takes to make that sound in person:from the offkilter drum work of Mike Falcone to the near constant activity of guitarist Devin McKnight adding texture with distorted, dissonant melodies. It was intense and enjoyable.
At the center of it all was guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Sadie Dupuis (pictured above), whose commanding stage presence and ability to make it all look so easy pulled the show together.
