Gig Watch: May 2026

Shows not to miss in and around Boston for the month of May.

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It’s a stacked spring lineup for May with area debuts, unlikely reunions and local favs.

5/1 – Chris Brokaw and Tanya Donnelly @ First Church in Cambridge Congregational

You could throw a dart in any direction this Friday and find a gig worth attending, but near the top of my list would be Boston legends Tanya Donnelly (Belly, Throwing Muses) and Chris Brokaw (Codeine, Come) teaming up to promote their hypnotic, unlikely EP of medieval music at Cambridge’s First Church.

5/1 – Final Gasp @ Middle East Upstairs

Or, for a decidedly less holy experience, I’d head to the Mid East for a monster six-band record-release show for death-rockers Final Gasp, featuring other local heavyweights including Still Life Sounds and Prayer Positions.

5/3 – Good Flying Birds @ Lilypad

Inman Square’s Lilypad welcomes the Boston debut of buzzy midwest jangle-rock crew Good Flying Birds, supported by Western Mass post-punk greats Landowner and San Francisco’s Galore.

5/5 – The Messthetics with James Brandon Lewis @ City Winery

Fugazi’s rhythm section teams up with a jazz saxophonist – what’s not to love? Trinary System, led by Mission of Burma’s Roger Miller, opens for good measure.

5/5 – Dry Cleaning @ Paradise Rock Club

Modern post-punk’s wordiest luminaries head back to town behind January’s Secret Love, supported by the delightfully unclassifiable NYC experimental rockers YHWH Nailgun.

5/7 – Cardinals @ The Rockwell

Following their Boston debut at a waterlogged Seisiun festival last fall, Irish indie rockers Cardinals make a more intimate stop at Somerville’s Rockwell.

5/10 – A Show for Joe @ O’Brien’s Pub

If you’re even loosely in tune with the Boston music community, you’ve likely already heard the news that beloved musician, bartender and scene fixture Joe McMahon recently suffered a heart attack and that funds are being raised to assist with his recovery. This Sunday night gig at OB’s stacked with friends like Casket Rats and Lipsmear will assist in that goal at one of the venues where Joe has almost certainly handed you a ‘Gansett at some point in your showgoing life.

5/11 – Twisted Teens @ O’Brien’s Pub

And back in Allston the next night, much-hyped country-punk outfit Twisted Teens make their inaugural Boston appearance at an already-sold-out O’Brien’s.

5/12 – Silkworm @ Crystal Ballroom

As improbable a reunion as you’re likely to catch this year, cult-favorite ’90s/’00s indie rockers Silkworm make their long-awaited return to Boston with an opening set from bluesy local noise rock veterans Come (that’s officially two Brokaw recs in one Gig Watch).

5/13 – Sluice @ Deep Cuts

Pastoral North Carolina crew Sluice are standouts among the ongoing alt-country resurgence, and they’ll be in Medford this month supporting new record Companion. 

5/15 – Cut Worms @ The Sinclair

And on a similarly-minded note, singer/songwriter Max Clarke brings his Cut Worms project back to town a few days later with a Sinclair appearance behind March’s Jeff Tweedy-produced Transmitter. 

5/19 – Chapterhouse @ The Sinclair

Another somewhat left-field reunion welcomes shoegaze legends Chapterhouse back to the U.S. for their first stateside shows in nearly 16 years, including a Sinclair stop.

5/19-5/20 – Belle & Sebastian @ Orpheum Theatre

Giants of twee Belle & Sebastian take over the Orpheum for a two-night stand performing their fan-favorite debut and sophomore records Tigermilk and If You’re Feeling Sinister – joined by the just-reunited and still criminally-underrated noise-pop outfit The Pains of Being Pure at Heart.

5/23 – Robber Robber / Empath @ Deep Cuts

Vermont post-punk crew Robber Robber and Philly noise-rockers Empath team up for complementary bill in Medford.

5/24 – Oranssi Pazuzu @ Sonia

If you didn’t score tickets for Springsteen at the Garden on this Sunday night, indulge in the next best thing: otherworldly psychedelic black metal that sounds like it’s being beamed straight from the deck of the Event Horizon.

5/26 – Lip Critic @ The Rockwell

Digital-hardcore maniacs Lip Critic bring their spring tour in support of a new concept album focused on their own real-life identity theft experience to Somerville for an undoubtedly wild show in the tiny confines of The Rockwell.

5/30 – Acid Bath @ Roadrunner

And finally, closing out the month is the Boston date on the slow-rolling reunion tour of NOLA sludge metal greats Acid Bath – featuring an absolutely insane supporting cast with the likes of Napalm Death, Pig Destroyer and Primitive Man. A real who-will-survive-and-what-will-be-left-of-them Saturday night at Roadrunner.