Similar to many other nights, the Boston area was abuzz with shows on Friday, the 13th . One particularly special gig was a basement show at Makeout Point in Allston, featuring Kelsey Rose Francis, The Water Cycle, Bellows and Mini Dresses.
Kelsey Rose Francis, of the band Lilith, opened for the night. Originally Lilith had been scheduled to play a duo set, but Hannah Liuzzo was out of town at a Florida resort named “Margarita Ville.” Rose Francis’ solo set included a Lilith track and an intimate mix of just guitar and vocals.
Up next was The Water Cycle. I wrote about them in a recent Went There, but it bears repeating that the trio puts on a great live show. This night’s lineup was a little different since filling in for bassist Rob Capodilupo was Denzil Leach, normally the drummer of Squitch. The night’s lineup featuring Leach was not only their first time playing live together, but their first time playing together ever, but the band still sounded as cohesive as ever. Guitarist Joe Kerwin sang the vocal parts on songs that Capodilpo would normally sing.
Third on the lineup was Bellows, coming from New York. When the band was setting up more and more folks started making their way into the space, really packing the basement from front to back. The four piece, led by Oliver Kalb, played songs off of their most recent release Fist and Palm. Bellows’ live performances are the sorts that get stuck in your head, bringing new life their recordings leaving you eager to see them perform again, with their catalogue on heavy rotation until then. The callback to the song “Funny Things” on the track “Beauty” was my favorite onstage moment of the night.
Closing out the night were locals, Mini Dresses. Their set delivered on the Friday the 13th theme with a med set exorcism of a possessed amp (witnessing this made a lot more sense, but trust me it happened). The trio’s dreamy songs helped to close the night out with strong performances from each member on their respective instruments.
Check out the photos from the night below:
