Fuzzstival took over Arts at the Armory – 10/18
Boston’s annual celebration of all strains of weirdo rock returned to Somerville with sets from Sweeping Promises, Lupo Citta and more.
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It still feels insane to say this, but last weekend was my first=ever Fuzzstival. The fest, organized by the folks at Illegally Blind, has gone down most every year for the past decade-plus and regularly boasted killer lineups of psych, experimental and general left-of-the-dial sounds that are very much up the alley of this website. But weirdly enough, I’ve seemingly had a conflicting assignment or travel plan for basically every single edition thus far. 2024 finally broke the curse – for one night at least – because there was no way I was missing Sweeping Promises again.
The formerly Boston-based band led by bassist/vocalist Lira Mondal and guitarist Caufield Schnug were behind one of my absolute 2023 favorites: the addictive, endlessly re-listenable Good Living is Coming For You. But much like Fuzzstival itself, their live set had eluded me til now. Closing out a 10-band bill with a fiery, propulsive late-night set, they proved well worth the wait in translating the nervy energy of their earworm post-punk to the live setting. I was exhausted by the time they hit the stage, well after midnight, but I still would’ve supported them playing twice as long.
There was plenty to like elsewhere on 2024’s day one bill too, like NYC’s YHWH Nailgun channeling a sinister sibling to the dearly-departed Philly band Palm, the dreamy psych of Bong Wish, the off-kilter experimental pop of Providence’s BabyBaby_Explores, or Nurse Joy‘s dance-punk punch. And then there was Balaclava, whose bombastic, beer-fueled garage-punk instantly went on my must-see-again list, preferably in the grimiest environment possible.
I wasn’t able to make it back for Saturday’s festivities (maybe next year), but still I’ll count my first partial Fuzzstival as a success. Check out a gallery of all ten bands from the night below.
Plant Fight:
The Spatulas:
Lupo Cita:
Nurse Joy:
Mingko:
Bong Wish:
Balaclava:
YHWH Nailgun:
BabyBaby_Explores:
Sweeping Promises:
