Sorority Noise played afterHours at Northeastern University – 1/18

Hartford-bred rockers Sorority Noise headlined Northeastern’s coffee shop performance space with Philly’s Katie Ellen and Boston’s Prior Panic. 

On the strength of their excellent, heartbreaking 2017 release You’re Not As ____ As You Think, Sorority Noise are rightfully on the rise. The band turns from anthemic shout-alongs to gutting slow-burners on a dime, and singer-guitarist Cameron Boucher’s lyrics starkly examine mourning, mental health and spirituality in remarkable ways. You’re Not is a gem whose bandwagon I definitely should’ve hopped on last year.

Sorority Noise head out on a spring tour that brings them to the Paradise in April, but I was fortunate enough to catch them at my alma mater’s (much smaller) space on a recent Thursday. They followed through on how good these songs are live, delivering the downers with appropriate gravitas and everything else with pogoing, hair-whipping, live-wire energy.

Enlisted for support were Katie Ellen, the new project from former Chumped leader Anika Pyle which somewhat confusingly doesn’t involve anyone by that name, and local trio Prior Panic.

See photos from all three (surprisingly well-lit) sets below.