Holding down local support for last Tuesday’s show at Great Scott were forever-solid, always-fun Boston Cream, those dance and new wave rockers are beloved to many in the Hub. Kicking off their set with synchronized dancing to “Bloom,” they blessed us with a litany of favorites off their various releases, ranging from “Elevator Eyes” to the psycho-dancable live whistles on “Night Light” to dreamy vibes in “The Work” to the clever melody on “Clogged Sinks,” woof! So many more. They were characteristically on point with inspiring dance moves and loads of joy. Catching Boston Cream live always has me speaking in tongues and living among sequins, beads, flowers, weeds for days/weeks afterward, and I do want it, honey.
Gustaf and Bodega, both based out of Brooklyn, hit the road together for a week with Boston as their last stop touring together on Tuesday. Gustaf puts forth a surly but silly brand of art punk that’s very danceable, both aggressive and a bit camp. They brought surprising hilarity with the effects put on Tarra Thiessen’s voice – it was a little like Cookie Monster, Darth Vader, and the world’s most diabolical robot – with added percussion thanks to Thiessen’s rhythmic knocks on a busted Café Bustelo can, proving coffee’s continued and unexpected artistic value. Singer Lydia Gammill’s vocals wavered between an in-your-face scowl and monologue-like sincerity. Between songs, shout-outs rang for Gammill’s parents in the crowd (not gonna lie, I love when parents go to their kid’s shows) with Gammill yelling, “It’s their fault I’m like this!” Well? Gustaf was awesome, so high fives to Mom and Dad.
Arty post punks Bodega continued their trend at Tuesday’s show for being an effing fierce live band. Their songs are brutally transparent, honest, very beat-bass heavy, and they are (very intentionally) a TON of fun to watch.
Leads Ben Hozie and Nikki Belfiglio trade witty and candid vocal quips while Belfiglio owns the stage and dances with abandon, periodically assisting on rhythm by taking a stick to a closed hi hat at stage front. Bassist Heather Elle and guitarist Madison Velding-VanDam hold down the melodic fort and, holy moly, stand-up drummer Tai Lee… Lee deserves every accolade under the sun for how she performs, an intense and steady jackhammer, beating so hard that she’s jumping. They played a bunch of favorites off their debut LP Endless Scroll including “Jack in Titanic,” “How Did This Happen?”, and “Warhol” with new, yet-to-be-released songs tossed in, too. Commemorating perhaps the last night of their tour together, Gustaf joined Bodega on stage for a long fam-jam of a last song with a few folks from the crowd jumping in, too.
Boston Cream, Gustaf, and Bodega definitely made staying out late on a school night completely worth it.
