Thou & The Body played Cuisine en Locale – 7/7

Well this one was different. The function hall at Somerville’s Cuisine en Locale looks to have hosted more bar mitzvahs and wedding receptions than punk/metal shows, but it served surprisingly well for last night’s massive 6-band bill. 

Flanked by an enormous mirror wall straight out of the mid-70s, Boston hardcore/powerviolence trio Curmudgeon opened the night by tearing through a short but engrossing set. Providence duo Sandworm faced a suddenly malfunctioning PA and a less engaged audience, but soldiered on. Next would be the main event that I hiked to Somerville on a Monday night for: a collaborative set between Oregon-via-Rhode Island experimental sludge duo The Body and Louisiana doom masters Thou. The two bands recently collaborated on a vinyl-only EP which played to the strengths of each project, and they translated that chemistry brilliantly to a live show. The stage was packed tight with the entirety of both bands – two drummers, three guitarists, a bassist, Thou lead screamer Bryan Funck and a goddamn lot of amplifiers. Yes, it was loud, massive and punishing, but also remarkably nuanced – seven people making an unholy racket without sounding unnecessarily crowded or overwrought. Crushingly heavy and stunningly good stuff.

I didn’t stick around for the more crust-leaning second half of the bill (featuring Cress and Appalachian Sandworm), but check out photos from the aforementioned three sets below: