REVIEW: Cherry Glazerr, Slow Hollows, Midriffs @ Middle East Upstairs 01/20
Jan. 20, 2017 will go down in history for being a rather strange day, but also for being the day of Cherry Glazerr’s record release. The LA rock band celebrated Apocalipstick, their latest album out on Secretly Canadian, while playing a sold out show at the Middle East this past Friday night.
Being all ages, the show packed the 194 capacity venue to the brim with young teens, middle-aged couples, and families alike. There was immediate camaraderie between everyone as well, not only because there was a collective mourning over the shift in power to our country’s new leader, but also because everyone was excitedly waiting to see Cherry Glazerr take the stage.
Until then, Boston’s own Midriffs played through an explosive set of psychedelic garage rock. By the reactions and approving smiles of the crowd, Midriffs gained a couple dozen more followers throughout their set. The local favorites played a set of primarily new material to be released on their upcoming album, with classic “Green on the Grass” thrown in.
LA’s Slow Hollows were on next with their jangly indie pop. Judging from the stark white “Under 21” bracelets around their wrists, the band was young, as was their sound which was youthful and energetic, but not naïve. The set had a dreamlike quality with the subtle cry of a trumpet every once in a while to serve as an awakening alarm. Slow Hollows played a combination of songs off both of their full-length albums, including “Again” from Romantic, their 2016 release, and “The Art School Kids” from their debut, Atelophobia.
The crowd’s pent-up excitement was finally released when Cherry Glazerr began their set. Before singer Clem Creevy rocketed onto stage to perform a raucous live rendition of “Sip O’ Poison” from Apocalipstick, she and the rest of the band decorated the stage with brightly colored fiber art vaginas (and sang an impromptu tune of praise to the genitalia later in the set). While playing primarily freshly released songs like “Nuclear Bomb,” “Told You I’d Be with the Guys” and entirely instrumental “Apocalipstick,” Cherry Glazerr also mixed in some of the tunes from their debut, Haxel Princess, that were originally responsible for winning the love of their devoted fan base. (The members are commonly referred to as being “slaves to the glaze.”) “Grilled Cheese,” “Whites Not My Color This Evening” and “Teenage Girl” were among the cherished classics. Creevy jetted around the stage, bouncing up and down and pacing back and forth, while drummer Tabor Allen was almost animalistic when attacking the drums with unrestrained (but rhythmic) ferocity.
As absolutely powerful and striking as the set was, what was most memorable about Cherry Glazerr’s show at the Middle East was the genuine interaction with the crowd. A teen near the front of the stage asked where Creevy’s Rickenbacker was, since that has become an iconic component of Cherry Glazerr’s shows. Keyboardist Sasami Ashworth answered saying that things were awkward between Creevy and her beloved guitar after the shooting of the “Nuclear Bomb” video (something that can only be understood after watching the video in its entirety!)
On another occasion, Creevy, as she high-fived the entire first two rows of the venue, noted that her favorite part of her band’s shows was how there were always “girls up front.”
But perhaps the most moving part of the set is when Creevy ventured to “try something new.” She recited a Japanese-styled poem that appeared to list off the overwhelming number of societal norms and expectations for women’s behavior. The entire crowd was sitting (per Creevy’s request) and was so silent that the music playing in the Middle East Downstairs could be heard clearly through the floors. Considering the day’s events, the poem was especially potent to all the young women in attendance, made clear through their pensive expressions.
“And now back to some punk rock!” exclaimed Creevy upon the poem’s end.
Cherry Glazerr played through the rest of their set with a renewed passion, and every person in the crowd echoed that energy.
The band returned for a one-song encore composed of a cover of Nirvana’s “Territorial Pissings.” Creevy and Ashworth seemed to have been the female reincarnations of Kurt Cobain as they screamed and wailed into the microphones. By this point in time, it’s recognized that women can kill it in the rock ‘n’ roll world, but Cherry Glazerr made it known at this show that they’re here to stay.
By Olivia Gehrke