Come played Middle East Upstairs – 9/25

Veteran Boston rockers Come played a rare hometown show with support from Home Despot.

Fresh off a reissue of their classic ’94 sophomore record Don’t Ask Don’t Tell by the venerable Fire Records, Come are back at it. The band headed by singers/guitarists Thalia Zedek and Chris Brokaw have reunited intermittently over the years, and those shows have always been well worth a trip across the river or all the way to Brooklyn. Thankfully it was the former this go ’round, with the band headlining a Sunday night gig upstairs at the Middle East ahead of a European tour.

Call it a warm-up show, but this band seems like they never need any warming up. Rounded out by the powerhouse rhythm section of bassist Sean O’ Brien and drummer Arthur Johnson, Come possess that lighting-in-a-bottle musical chemistry that so many rock bands can only dream of. Their songs – anguished, pummeling and feedback-streaked – are powerful things that the foursome locks into and never lets go of. It’s arresting to watch them, every time.

The night’s setlist, logically, went heavy on the just-repressed Don’t Ask and the band’s debut 11:11 – the two records this particular lineup made together. We did get one from 1998’s swansong Gently Down the Stream as well (underrated record!), and while I’d love to hear them dig even deeper (Near-Life Experience also great!), there’s no denying that the discography’s first half has more than enough classics to fill out a set. No complaints here.

Scroll down for photos from the night, including an opening set from Somerville’s Home Despot, below. And if you’re so inclined, catch Come when they’re back stateside opening for Kurt Vile at Royale on the 30th of this month.