REVIEW: Grapetooth @ Great Scott 6/5
By Matt Bandel
I remember first discovering Grapetooth on my Spotify discover weekly playlist. Their first single, “Trouble,” was so weird, but I couldn’t help being fascinated by it. It was so much fun and I was excited to see what would come next. The Chicago indie pop duo continued to put out singles until they finally released their self-titled, debut album. The project is really solid from front to back with some slower cuts like “Mile after Mile” and some really dancy ones like “Blood,” my favorite track off of the album. Clips from their Instagram showed how much fun the duo had when they performed, so when the chance came to cover their Boston show, I took it immediately.
The Great Scott is a cozy little venue that is designed for smaller indie shows, so Grapetooth were perfect for it. Everyone was able to get really close to the stage and even those that were farther back in the crowd could still see all of the action. But when Grapetooth took the stage everything descended into madness in the best way possible. Frontman Clay Frankel came on first and played a new song he said he had wrote two days ago. I was impressed by his musical talent, playing guitar, harmonica, and singing on the track. But after that quiet song, all hell broke loose as the rest of the band members came out to play “Violent.” The crowd erupted into a mosh pit that would last pretty much the entire show. It was a lot of fun and the energy was amazing.
As for performances, all of the members were clearly very talented and the playing was phenomenal the entire time. Frankel’s guitar was spot on and it added a nice touch to a few songs that originally did not have a guitar on them. His singing was clearly filled with emotion and his harmonica was also very impressive. Chris Bailoni was great on the synth. He mixed it up on a few tracks and had great stage presence in general. Bailoni was clearly enjoying himself the entire time. Even when he wasn’t jamming out he was dancing goofily and just having a great time. He really brought an amazing energy that amped everyone up. His backup vocals (really just screaming the chorus of songs with everyone) were also appreciated. It felt like he was just one of the audience members jamming out to the music. Last was drummer Justin Vittori. Even though he is only supporting the band on tour, he was really stellar on the drums and meshed really well with the other members’ playing. Overall, I was really impressed by the quality of the music by all of the members.
The set was a blast the entire time. Lively tracks like “Violent” and “Death” were super energetic with everyone jumping and singing. During the synth solo at the end of “Blood” the pit opened up for a dance circle and people got in the middle and busted a move. Even slower tracks were still energetic. “Mile After Mile” and “Red Wine” (my favorite track of theirs) were super passionate and still a great time to dance along to. The group then ended the concert with their hit single “Trouble” and everyone went crazy. The band members were screaming along with the audience and it was a great way to end the concert.
My only real complaint was the duration of the performance. Grapetooth have one album that is 39 minutes long, and going into the concert I was wondering how they were going to fill time. The short answer is that they really didn’t. I had a lot of fun, but everyone clearly felt a little empty as they left the venue, waiting for an encore or something else to happen. I would have liked to see some extended versions of songs with more jamming from Clay and Chris. I was prepared for them to play “Trouble” eight times and I don’t think anyone would have minded if they had. I definitely had a great time nonetheless and would suggest both checking out Grapetooth’s debut album and their live performances. Not enough people know about this duo and I anticipate more great music from them in the future. If they do another tour following their next project I will be sure to catch them again.