July 30, 2026

An Illegally Blind appreciation post

Recaps from two killer Illegally Blind-presented gigs from July.

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I had originally planned on standalone blog posts for the Carnivorous Bells and Vorhex Angel shows I caught at O’Brien’s and Deep Cuts, respectively, this month, but things have gotten busy and I have stuff to catch up on before being out of the country for a good chunk of August, so instead, I’m simply gonna lump the two together and shout out Boston DIY fixture Jason Trefts and his Illegally Blind outfit for booking them. As the mastermind behind both the IB show series and Boston’s yearly Fuzzstival, Trefts is forever on the pulse of the new weird underground, and an Illegally Blind-presented gig is essentially a seal of quality – even if it’s a bill of bands you’ve never heard of, it’s very likely gonna rip. Enter these two heaters from the month of July:

First up, it was Philly’s Carnivorous Bells headlining a Saturday night at OB’s. The foursome impressed when I caught them opening for Pissed Jeans a few years back and have only gotten better in the interim. Their freaky brand of post-punk is distinguished by the ever-colorful fretwork of ex-Merchandise guitarist David Vassalotti and vocalist Matthew Adis’ wild-eyed stage presence, and they’re totally riveting to watch. Fellow Philadelphians Cartoon were joining them on the road, adding a dose of kaleidoscopic prog-punk to the evening. And on the local side of the bill, Clacker’s relentless, no-nonsense hardcore gave way to a nigh-unclassifiable set from PV that involved a microtonal Telecaster, toy horns, unnerving ramblings and some good old-fashioned writhing on the ground. It reminded me of the more out-there noise acts that would often populate the Hassle Fest undercard (RIP) and push everyone out of their collective comfort zone. Sometimes it’s fun to simply have no idea how to process what you’re watching and hearing.

For gig number two, we jump forward to a Wednesday night up at Deep Cuts headlined by the experimental psych collective Vorhex Angel. Comprised of brothers Jake and Jamin Orrall (of JEFF the Brotherhood) and guitarist Kunal Prakash – plus live bassist Ian St. George – the band spans drone-y soundscapes and spaced-out slow jams to in-the-red psychedelic meltdowns on their new double album Drain (a legit AOTY frontrunner for me at the moment). It’s the kind of record that pretty much demands you see them play it live, and the alternately hypnotic and senses-overloading experience did not disappoint. Rounding out that night was tourmate Luke Schneider, playing a shimmering set of New Age-y pedal steel, and locals Spirit Ghost kicking things off with their retro-tinged garage-pop.

Check out galleries from both killer nights of music below, and scope the upcoming Illegally Blind calendar for a bunch more shows you’ll probably see me at.

Carnivorous Bells: