Gig Watch: August 2026

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

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It’s a somewhat slower month as the summer starts to wind down, but still plenty of good stuff to catch:

8/1 – Fiddlehead @ Lynch Family Skatepark

Sorta-local post-hardcore luminaries Fiddlehead celebrate the release of their new EP Baby I’ll Change with a free mid-afternoon show at the skatepark. It’s also a back-to-school supplies drive, because BHC is for the kids, so bring some pencils and notebooks along to donate.

8/1 – Rat City Arts Festival @ Charles River Speedway

Across town (and probably still going on well after Fiddlehead wrap up), the annual Rat City fest is back with a free day of local music including sets from Cheem, Makeout Palace, Intac and more.

8/2 – Dan Deacon @ The Sinclair

Electronic wizard Dan Deacon brings his exuberant live show back around for a rescheduled date originally planned for Super Bowl Sunday, evidently moved once the Pats made it through the playoffs (though a gig probably would’ve been a welcome distraction by the end of that game…).

8/5 – Franz Ferdinand @ House of Blues

The World Cup ushered in a summer of love between Scotland and the city of Boston, as you may’ve heard, which continues in spirit as Glaswegian dance-punk vets Franz Ferdinand make their way back to town.

8/6 – Pew Pew @ Coolidge Corner Theater

Allston Pudding teams up with the Coolidge to present the first in a series of band / film pairings for the theater’s Cinema Jukebox series, wherein a set from locals Pew Pew will precede a 35mm screening of the ’00s retelling of the Factory Records story 24 Hour Party People.

8/6-8/9 – Somergloom

Boston’s preeminent heavy fest returns with four days of darkness at Deep Cuts and Crystal Ballroom, featuring sets from Dropdead, Junius, Planning for Burial, Miracle Blood and many more.

8/14 – Agalloch @ The Sinclair

Black/folk/post-metal institution Agalloch make their first Boston-area appearance in well over a decade in Cambridge.

8/16 – Yard Act @ The Sinclair

Dance-y, irreverent U.K. post-punks Yard Act make their semi-annual return to The Sinclair supporting new LP You’re Gonna Need a Little Music, joined by maximalist punk maniacs The Armed for a can’t-miss double bill.

8/18 – Swervedriver @ The Sinclair

Marking 35 years of their classic debut Raise, O.G. shoegazers Swervedriver round out a particularly stacked span in Harvard Square.

8/30 – REZN @ Middle East Upstairs

Doom-psych jammers REZN bring the heady noise to the Mid East to close out the month.