Gig Watch: May 2025
Shows not to miss in and around Boston for the month of May.
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Springtime is gig time, as they say (someone does, surely?). Scope out some picks for the month of May below.
5/1 – Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory @ Roadrunner
Singer/songwriter Sharon Van Etten teamed up with an officially-credited band of collaborators for the first time on her latest record, the eponymous and The Attachment Theory. It’s one of the most sonically-rich of her career, and the four-piece ensemble will showcase it with a big headlining gig at Roadrunner to kick off the month.
5/4 – Tim Hecker @ Crystal Ballroom
Electronic experimentalist Tim Hecker returns to the Ballroom for another dose of his immersive, skull-rattling manifestations – only his second Boston appearance in the past decade.
5/5 – Takaat @ O’Brien’s Pub
If the searing, psychedelic desert-blues of Nigerien luminary Mdou Moctar is up your alley, the new band Takaat – composed of his killer rhythm section – ought to be your calendar for their local debut.
5/8 – Melvins / Napalm Death @ Paradise Rock Club
Sludge-grunge OGs Melvins and British grindcore lifers Napalm Death join forces once more for a second round of their “Savage Imperial Death March Tour,” which rocked pretty hard in 2018 and promises to do so again 7 years later.
5/9 – Devo @ MGM Music Hall
New wave icons Devo have been toying with retirement for a few years now, but they’re not done yet. This month finally sees them return to Boston for the first time since 2008 as part of the extended celebration of their 50th anniversary.
5/10 – William Tyler @ Warehouse XI
Guitarist William Tyler – an alum of Lambchop and Silver Jews in addition to his own catalog of instrumental Americana explorations – dives headlong into the ambient abyss on his new record Time Indefinite, which should make for a fascinating live show this month in Somerville.
5/12 – Ichiko Aoba @ Berklee Performance Center
On the heels of February’s widely-lauded Luminescent Creatures, Tokyo singer/songwriter Ichiko Aoba brings her signature ambient-chamber-folk to Berklee.
5/13 – Deafheaven @ Paradise Rock Club
Following the shoegaze-y left turn of 2021’s Infinite Granite, Deafheaven are back to blackgaze heaviness with this month’s ferocious Lonely People With Power. They’ll support it at the Paradise with a pair of killer openers in Gatecreeper and Trauma Ray.
5/21 – Paradise Lost @ Brighton Music Hall
Long-running masters of gothic doom Paradise Lost make a rare Boston appearance, with support from fellow heavy metal veterans Trouble.
5/22 – Swirlies @ Paradise Rock Club
In a satellite presentation by Nothing-backed shoegaze fest Slide Away, Boston’s beloved Swirlies headline an evening also featuring Unrest’s Mark Robinson and Philly’s Her New Knife.
5/24 – The Wedding Present @ The Sinclair
David Gedge’s jangly post-punk institution The Wedding Present celebrate 35 years of their classic Bizarro on their Spring tour. The Tubs – offshoot of decommissioned noise-pop greats Joanna Gruesome – support.
5/28 – Christopher Owens @ The Rockwell
Ex-Girls frontman Christopher Owens returned after a nearly decade-long hiatus last year with the striking I Wanna Run Barefoot Through Your Hair, his strongest project since the dissolution of that beloved band. He’ll be on the road behind it with a Somerville stop this month.
5/30 – Thalia Zedek Band @ O’Brien’s Pub
Local legend Thalia Zedek holds a record-release gig for new LP The Boat Outside Your Window, joined by fellow Bostonian greats Vivid Bloom and Harsh Foxing.
5/30 – MIKE @ Paradise Rock Club
And meanwhile, up the street, cult favorite abstractionist MC MIKE headlines an evening at the Paradise (just leave your chessboards at home).