The Proletariat played ONCE Ballroom – 11/3

Boston punks The Proletariat recently reunited after a three-decade hiatus for a short east coast tour, headlining Somerville’s ONCE Ballroom earlier this month. 

Although they came to prominence amid the early Boston hardcore scene – featuring prominently on the the iconic This is Boston, Not L.A. compilation – The Proletariat’s sound is more accurately rooted in British post-punk than American hardcore. Think of a cross between Gang of Four and Wire, with an even harder leftist political bent. That sound has aged well, and the band sounded tight and urgent at their hometown reunion gig. Check out photos below, including openers Ancient Filth and The Pragmatics. (And give The Proletariat a listen if they’ve never crossed your radar; an exhaustive and excellent anthology by the name Voodoo Economics and Other American Tragedies is easily Spotify-able).