Rock n Roll Boston!

It was a good thing Liv was able to experience the band Aloud at the Paradise last Saturday; I was kicking myself in the ass for showing up late and only getting to see their closing song.  But all the disappointment I felt in myself for missing Aloud’s set dissipated soon after I realized that I was about to sonically meet head on with another three solid bands. 

The two bands I saw that preceded the closing act – The Luxury – were both dynamically different in their delivery.  The Saturday night was a great mix of catchy, rocking music as these acts were all strewn across the spectrum of aggressive pop. 

MidAtlantic did its thing with brilliantly sung vocals, tight guitars and a bass drum that would not quit if you asked politely.  I could be grasping at straws, but I felt like I was watching a better version of The Bravery (if The Bravery actually rocked).  Technically, the music was flawless.  Technologically-technically, the band hit some speed bumps with the Paradise’s equipment.  Being in a band myself, I have always been intrigued to see how other bands cope with failing amps, P.A.s, etc.  I was impressed to see MidAtlantic not only deal with having mics crap out (twice!!! Shame on you, Paradise!!), but to come out as the bigger men and not be pissed.  At one point, whatever the keyboardist was playing was not even coming out of the monitors.  Instead of throwing a hissy fit, they told the audience to pretend they could hear the keyboard and went right into their next tune just as hard as the rest of their set; that’s the classy way to take the high road, kids.

Next up was the Click Five who began their set with a mix of eclectic pop/alt country/new wave/synth rock that hit hard in a groovy way.  Once the first few songs passed, it seemed like their sound and style became more accessible and less surprising with each new riff (which was not necessarily a bad thing).  What had been so initially appealing was that their song choices seemed bipolar; it wasn’t easy to pin their genre down, but once I did start hearing a trend, I was happy to understand exactly where the Click Five members were coming from and, in all probability, successfully going.  And shit.  I loved “I Quit I Quit I Quit”.

Finally The Luxury took the stage immediately following a pre-stage huddle.  Whatever was said in there worked, as the band didn’t let up once it started their first song off their new album “In the Wake of What Won’t Change”.  I hope everyone can agree with me that it is awesome when a band gives the track listing on their CD as it would appear on an actual record and refers to songs based upon whether they’re from side A or B. A combination of old school and badass all bundled up.  The Luxury had numerous guests during their set, ranging from a duel horn section, to female vocalists, to audience members bum rushing the stage after being invited to sing along.  Each guest only added to the full sound that these performers were already putting out. The Luxury is genuinely into their music and the fans that love to hear them play.  You could tell that they felt like every second of hard work they put into making this show happen was completely worth it; it was clear by how furiously they played their music onstage.  They closed their set with two spot-on covers and a couple older originals (one cover being Tears for Fears’ “Head Over Heals” (for anyone that knows the original song, you would have gotten chills hearing the Luxury’s version). 

Live music, when done right, is a beautiful thing and the bands that performed at the Paradise Saturday night reinforced this truth. So check out these bands.

The Luxury, Click Five, and Midatlantic (check them out in the photos below from Saturday night): 

 *Article by Peter Gollands

*Photos by Liv Hauck