Thurston Moore played The Sinclair – 7/20

Former Sonic Youth co-leader Thurston Moore headlined Cambridge’s Sinclair last Thursday night in support of his latest full-length, Rock n Roll Consciousness. 

Like many of us around here, Moore seems to have taken a liking to The Sinclair. This show was the fourth I’ve seen him headline there (either under his own name or the quickly-retired Chelsea Light Moving), and the room seems to suit him. Joining Moore for this round was the backing band he’s hit the road with frequently in recent years: guitarist James Sedwards, My Bloody Valentine bassist Debbie Googe and former Sonic Youth compatriot Steve Shelley on drums. The quartet have an inherent chemistry that’s only heightened since their last visit, and it doesn’t hurt that the material they’re touring now is arguably Moore’s finest work in a post-Sonic Youth world.

Rock n Roll Consciousness‘ meditative extended jams recall the strongest elements of 2014’s The Best Day honed into sharper focus. There’s grooves aplenty to get lost in, with a crowd-pleasing abundance of Moore’s skronk-y fretboard pyrotechnics too. And the songs really begin to unfold on stage under the command of a veteran ensemble of noisemakers Thursday’s set, like the one I caught in Chicago the previous weekend, was a totally engrossing trip.

Check out photos from the set below. Not my best angles, since I arrived five minutes before set time from the Tom Petty gig across town, but I did what I could.