Boy Harsher was the perfect way to kick off my birthday weekend (because birthday weekend’s always start on Wednesday’s) and they played at the beautiful spanking new Crystal Ballroom located in the newly renovated Somerville Theater in Davis Square. Twin Tribes, a goth-rock duo from Texas, opened the show with dark-twinkling guitars and morbid face make-up.

If dark synth rock with shooting synthesizers and catchy beats is your thing, I would highly recommend you check this band out. And with lyrics about the occult and the undead, they are a perfect goth band to add to your multiple playlists of goth bands. Maybe after that you go outside and get some Vitamin D while you’re at it.

Of course Boy Harsher killed it. Jae Matthews, Boy Harsher’s vocalist delivered a stunning, energetic performance atop Augustus Muller’s dark & dancey beats. If you missed this show, ah, you missed out. The crowd was quite an interesting spectacle with ripped fishnets, heavy eyeliner, and leather jackets taking the night.

Boy Harsher’s new album/ soundtrack for the film The Runner is definitely worth checking out, with particular emphasis on Hassle-favorite Lucy’s vocals on the song ‘Autonomy’. The album is a bit more spacious than usual for Boy Harsher, and while I am unsure if they played any tracks from the soundtrack, the songs ranged from their discography ending with their iconic hit ‘Pain’, the song that of course every body was waiting for. I would have liked to see this song closer to the beginning of the set, when the energy was more ripe, but that was really my only gripe with their performance. It was an otherwise flawless display of dance-music combined with dark-story telling and catchy hooks.

Next time Boy Harsher come around you got to check them out.