Dummy played The Lilypad – 4/8

Omnivorous LA rockers Dummy headlined a Friday evening at Inman Square’s Lilypad with support from Carinae and Strange Passage. I first caught wind of Dummy back in 2020, when they released a pair of EPs whose rhythmic psych-noise-pop sound seemed to pull from all of my favorite reference points. Obviously that was not the year to catch them on the road, but with a 2021 full-length under their belt, the band finally made their way to our fair city earlier this month.

In a previous life this might’ve been a prime Great Scott gig, but The Lilypad – a quirky little spot I hadn’t visited since the pandemic, known for its frequent jazz nights and other eclectic programming – also proved a good match for the bill.

Somerville’s Strange Passage opened the night with a set of driving jangle-pop, followed up by the psychedelic sprawl of Western Mass’s Carinae. Dummy hit a late arrival, and thusly their headlining set backed up against a curfew for the late-night comedy show (Great Scott used to do this in reverse…), but they sounded excellent even in slightly abbreviated form. The live iteration of their genre fusion nodded liberally in the direction of Stereolab, but simultaneously carved out its own path. Definitely a band I’m excited to hear more from.

Scroll for a gallery of all three bands below.