Baths played The Rockwell – 3/26
Will Wiesenfeld brought his glitch-pop project to Somerville for a headlining date with LA’s Fashion Club.
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It struck me recently that it’d been a solid decade since I last saw Wiesenfeld perform a Baths set – and that strangely, two of the times I did see him around then were at free shows sponsored by unrelated shoe brands. The mid-2010s were a golden era for clout-chasing companies throwing money at things like that…but I digress.
This February saw the release of Gut – the first new proper Baths LP since 2017 – and between its infectious hooks, distinctive production and ear-catching lyricism (it’s a rare class of writer forging a rousing chorus from a phrase like “oral sex weightless on a haunted lake”), it’s a perfect distillation of the project’s strengths. No better time to check back in with the live show.
Wednesday night’s stop at the Rockwell found Wiesenfeld performing solo and without the aid of the visuals he typically brings on tour (thanks to an apparent production issue at the venue), which combined with a certain “basement fuck dungeon” lighting scheme (his words) to lend a rawer edge to the set than we might’ve gotten elsewhere. Utilizing both backing tracks and synths tapped out in realtime, Wiesenfeld was able to balance a one-man show that split the difference between a more straightforward live electronic set and a dancefloor commanded by an unencumbered digital-hardcore vocalist.
It all fit the vibes of the new record (whose punk and metal influences Wiesenfeld recently discussed on music writer Larry Fitzmaurice’s “Last Donut of the Night” newsletter), and fittingly, most of the set consisted of those fresh songs (in addition to some even newer). The packed crowd had done their homework and knew the material inside and out, which meant the energy stayed buzzing the whole show. A great set and a welcome return.
Check out a gallery from the evening below, including a stylish set from LA art-rockers Fashion Club (who also opened for Protomartyr around the corner last year).
