Bands ignite angst and soul back to back at the Middle East Upstairs
Cambridge, Mass. – The Middle East is a maze with multiple entrances and stages. Luckily, on this humid Sunday night, only the Upstairs was in use, featuring three acts for a $15 cover. The show started promptly at 8 pm. First up was Komodo Rojo, a solo male performer with a dominant punk sound. Following him was Oddie, a punk rock group of four males full of angst. The final performance and main act of the night was the Roaches, a five-member band blending indie pop with alternative music.
The Roaches got lots of attention from the local crowd, which grew by 50% before they went onstage. Friends and family of the band were present, showing their support. Their electrifying sound starkly contrasted with the two previous punk bands, transitioning the audience from blaring punk to more meditative indie alternative pop. Roaches consisted of five members, one of whom played harmonica for most of the set, seeming to take control of the sound. Their music was experimental, with a bit of improv.
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This article was produced for HorizonMass, the independent, student-driven, news outlet of the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism, and is syndicated by BINJ’s MassWire news service.
Charlotte Howard is a HorizonMass photographer and lover of music. She just graduated from Boston University with a degree in journalism and religion. She was heavily involved in shaping the writing section of Off the Cuff, a fashion arts magazine, and is currently managing her own freelance photography business @shuttersbychar. She is a board member of an independent student newspaper, the Pelham Examiner, that she co-founded 6 years ago Saving the best for last…if you can’t get ahold of Charlotte, she is with her friends, and/or drinking an iced matcha.
