PHOTOS: SWMRS, Destroy Boys, Beach Goons @ Paradise Rock Club 4/12

By Jarrad Levy

Photos by Maggie Leone

In their return to Boston, SWMRS delivered a raucous and rage-fueled concert on their Berkeley’s on Fire tour.

Opening the show with “Trashbag Baby,” the band immediately set the tone for the night, telling the crowd to jump, mosh, and have a good time. This does bring up a problem with the concert however. While the energy of the show was infectiously energetic, the venue was far too small for the entire crowd to be moshing. Paradise Rock Club is simply too small for the entire crowd to be jumping around. Moving the show to a more spacious venue like Brighton Music Hall would have been a lot more comfortable for the audience, as many could be seen leaving the show throughout the night, bloody and in pain.

As the show went on, SWMRS kept the vibe going with the aggressive “D’You Have a Car” and the titular song of both the tour and their last album, “Berkeley’s on Fire.” Lead singer Cole Becker, sang with passion and aggression throughout the night, almost as if it was the last show he would ever play.

With the band only having two albums out, they were relegated to having fewer songs to draw from for the setlist than many other bands of similar size and reputation. Therefore, the setlist was evenly split between the two albums, with eight songs being off their first release, Drive North, and eight from Berkeley’s on Fire.

As the concert continued, the band eventually played “Hellboy,” by far the most powerful, energetic, and angry song in their arsenal. The song is one about mass shootings and the band’s argument for stricter gun control. Becker removed his blazer during the song, revealing an anti-NRA shirt that coincided with the song. It was during “Hellboy” that the crowd peaked in aggression, with people falling down like dominoes and flying around with no control. While it was certainly more dangerous than most of the shows I’ve been to, the majority seemed to love every second of it, cheering and cooperating with Becker’s calls for moshing and circle pits accordingly.

SWMRS ended their set with four of their most popular songs from their first album, “Figuring it Out,” “Palm Trees,” “Lose It,” and “Harry Dean.” While it was expected that all four of these songs would be played throughout the night, playing them straight together was a mistake. They are touring a brand new album, and closing the show with some of their new material may have convinced more fans to more readily listen to the new album. Recency bias is a proven psychological trend, and not leaving fans thinking about the new material was a missed opportunity.

Overall, the show was a lot of fun and a great experience as a fan of the band. SWMRS is a perfect example of a punk band that brings something to the table with a unique sound, while still having the genre in their DNA. Whether you enjoy the band or want an excuse to jump around and go crazy for two hours, SWMRS is the show for you.

Beach Goons by Maggie Leone

Destroy Boys by Maggie Leone

SWMRS by Maggie Leone