BOSTON/NE BANDS, Music, Went There

Went There: Gel, Spaced, Sophisticated Adult, Adrienne, Climb, BPB @ The Fraternal Order of Eagles Gardner, Ma

Resident Hassler Abbie Bateman takes us all the way to Gardner for this kick-ass show

by

The band stopped, medical emergency. Despite the vicious nature of hardcore, we take care of our own. Of injuries in general I’m told “Oh yeah, there’s been quite a few.” As is tradition in the scene where a broken nose is a badge of honor. One such distinction bestowed upon a fellow by the name of Ben who real-casually had his face actual-broken by Sophisticated Adult bassist, Matty. Normal gig.

While the overly-bright and somewhat odd venue we’d been provided in Gardener, Massachusetts didn’t result in any fractures.. there was no shortage of madness. One boy, seemingly twice my height, swung wildly with a plastic bat.. The band’s ever appropriate catchphrase – Watch Your Face.

Sophisticated Adult is New Hampshire hardcore. Patti (drums), Matti (bass), Zaq (guitar) and Parker (vocals) already have a rabid following. Hailing proudly from Penacook which, call me ignorant, I had to Google to be sure was real. To be fair (according to a cursory Google search) the population of this village within the city of Concord is 1,273.. maybe the population of a single building round my way.

Whatever the case of their overly north, altogether too-cold origin… the band fucks. In listening I’m made, with slight anxiety, aware of how violent these shows have the potential to be. The sound is warring, pacing, and vicious. The type of music that bestows upon listeners, a super-human crowdkill strength. The kind of internal alarm you feel manifesting in your quickened pulse. The resultant fight-or-flight being a surefire way to know, as a band, you are doing something right.

Sophisticated Adult started as “jamming in high school“ for Patti (Drums) and Zaq (guitar). I’m told that initially, their music-making was a jazzier affair. You catch a glimpse of this history at the start of track People Person from 2019 debut release, Entertainment.

Of their start, Patti says “We played music together forever but never really had a band. We didn’t really start doing it seriously until about 2018/19.” The duo then “forced” various members into their current positions, making up the line-up you might now come across in an unassuming outpost as hosted by The Fraternal Order of Eagles.

Of the genre, hardcore and punk seem to be the most commonly bestowed labels. This is certainly on-brand for the energy of the room during sets. There are though, not-to-be-missed drippy/sludgy moments like that in track Doomed With A Spike that, despite a slowed pace, offers no relent as riffs continue to taunt snarling predators into stage dives.

Their most recent drop, Protect Your Face, dropped Christmas Eve of last year. This third release comes as vicious as ever. I spend an absurd amount of time forcing strangers to sit through it. No complaints have been filed.

The band is most active on their Instagram where you can catch show details and pertinent announcements. If you can make it out to their next show, do it. The crew plays New England often. Bring pads if you’re soft.. and maybe the card for your health insurance.

https://instagram.com/sophisticated_adult_band?utm_medium=copy_link

https://sophisticatedadult.bandcamp.com

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