Something In The Way Fest @ Roadrunner 2/1 + 2/2

Day 1

Review by Cathy Trabazo

The crowd bustled with quiet chatter, waiting in anticipation for the eleventh set of the “Something in the Way Fest” at Roadrunner. The room was buzzing with anticipation and nostalgia, the venue filled with a crowd of beanies and flannels. In the wake of her latest album, “Evergreen,” the lights dimmed as indie rock singer-songwriter Soccer Mommy, aka Sophie Allison, prepared to take the stage.

Allison, born in Zurich but raised in Nashville, first gained attention through Bandcamp, where she shared raw, bedroom-recorded tracks that captured a cult following. In the years since, Allison has evolved from her early lo-fi, indie sound into a more polished, intimate, musical style. With “Evergreen,” her latest release, she delves deeper into the complexities of adulthood, grappling with themes of loss and healing, all while maintaining the sparse instrumentation that first defined her work.

“Abigail, it isn’t fair,” her set begins with a wistful love song inspired by the “Stardew Valley” character. The bittersweet lyrics and dreamy instrumental set the tone for the evening, her music often infused with a sense of longing. Allison’s voice captivated, delicate yet powerful. 

As the set progressed, the intensity began to build. The guitar grew heavier, setting the stage for “Driver.” The crowd swayed to the beat as Allison asked, “Where are we going now?” before launching into the next song, “Shotgun.” The band’s lead guitarist offered embellishments, adding dimension to each song’s third act. At times, the guitar seemed to screech through the venue’s speakers. 

Before “Cool,” Allison tells the crowd, “This one’s a bit older,” eliciting a cheer from the audience. The performance became more nostalgic, balancing older fan favorites with newer material. While much of the night’s setlist was dedicated to “Evergreen,” the delicate balance of old and new tracks ensured that longtime fans could experience her hits alongside the fresh emotions of her most recent work. The setlist transition, from “Evergreen” and its themes of grief to the more youthful energy of earlier tracks, was smooth yet striking for frequent listeners.

With pain hiding beneath her voice, Allison transitioned into “M,” an emotionally potent track where she sings, “I hear your voice in all my favorite songs.” Despite the large festival setting, there was a profound intimacy in her performance. Even when listeners weren’t entirely focused, melancholy reverberated in the room. 

At one point, the band exited the stage, leaving Allison alone to perform her haunting track “Lost.” As watercolor mountains were projected onto the backdrop, she pulled back into a quieter moment, singing, “I don’t know what’s in her dreams, it’s lost to me.” As sounds of nature filled the background, the album’s themes of reconnecting with the outdoors and healing were brought to light.

Despite her reserved stage presence, rarely speaking to the audience beyond the occasional “thank you,” Allison’s performance was powerful and intimate. Her ability to command the stage without relying on theatrics made her set all the more compelling. The simplicity of her delivery, paired with the depth of her music, allowed the songs to speak for themselves. 

When the opening riff of Your Dog blared through the speakers, the entire crowd reacted, their excitement evident as they sang along, uniting for one of her most beloved tracks. The collective energy was undeniable, and for a few minutes, the audience shared the cathartic experience.

“Thank you so much for sticking around, and I’ll see you next time, Boston,” Allison said in her soft-spoken manner, bidding the crowd farewell. As the last notes of her set faded away, people slowly turned back to their conversations as the performance lingered with a sense of quiet reflection. 

In the end, Soccer Mommy’s set was an emotional journey that encapsulated the best of her evolving sound. It was a testament to Allison’s growth as an artist and her ability to connect with listeners on a deeply personal level.

Day 2

Review by Jaya Kohol

I severely underestimated how packed Roadrunner would be in the late afternoon. The festival started at 1:30 p.m. with opener bands My Fictions, Wishy, Portrayal of Guilt, Mini Trees, TAGABOW, Glare, and Sadurn. Around me was an ocean of black band t-shirts, tattooed arms, and Doc Martens. The concert hall was a warm and inviting solace away from the bitter, below-freezing temperatures that lingered outside the front door. As I snuck my way through the crowd, I quickly realized there were not one, but two stages opposite each other at either side of the venue. There was a main stage with a massive banner reading “Something in the Way” where performances usually occur at Roadrunner, and the second stage behind the tech pit, only a foot off the ground, surrounded by speakers. 

Photo credit: Lexie Alley

Just as I found a gap in the crowd, Militarie Gun took the main stage with a palpable sense of urgency. The band began and without hesitation, the mass of bodies directly in front of the stage began to move and collide. I watched as heads bobbed up and down while frontman Shelton sang his characteristic “ooh ooh.” The set ended after only 30 minutes, but the band thanked the crowd for their wonderful energy and quickly rushed off stage. Suddenly, the room seemed to buzz with movement as everyone turned around to look at the second stage at the back of the venue. I pushed past idling people to snag a spot to the right of the stage, only feet away from One Step Closer who were plugging in their instruments. 

Photo Credit: Lexie Alley

Just as the clock hit 6:15 p.m., One Step Closer began their set with an unmatched fervor. The band jumped into playing a breadth of songs from their catalog, pulling from their most recent record “All You Embrace” from their 2021 album “This Place You Know.” I was nowhere near prepared for how rowdy the crowd became in a matter of seconds. As lead singer Ryan Savitski began the lyrics of the first song “Leap Years,” body after body clambered up onto the stage, narrowly avoiding the band members, and flung themselves off into the pit with reckless abandon. The crowd became a pile of bodies clinging to one another, people falling over, others helping shove people on stage, sweat on nearly everyone’s forehead. Originally from Philadelphia, the melodic, hardcore band made the nearly sold-out venue feel like a true intimate basement hardcore show. As quickly as it started, the band concluded with “The Reach” and began to pack up their instruments. 

I turned my attention to the main stage to watch Mannequin Pussy as lead singer Marisa Dabice emerged in a pale green dress with the rest of her band. Being only vaguely familiar with some of their songs, I was surprised by the energy the band brought to the stage. Bathed in purple lights, they played through their catalog of four albums, giving everyone a taste of what they had to offer. In the middle of the set, Dabice took a moment to address the men in the room, asking them all to scream the word “pussy” as loud as they could, laughing into the microphone as she remarked how men are afraid of that word. She didn’t hesitate to address the anxiety around today’s political climate or the hopelessness many young people feel. The crowd cheered ecstatically as the band played “I Got Heaven” and their final, most popular song, “Romantic.” 

Once again, I turned to the back of the room to watch Fiddlehead begin their set. If I had thought the One Step Closer crowd was a mess, the Fiddlehead crowd was even more chaotic. The stage was lit with nothing besides red lights, and as the band began furiously playing, the mass of bodies began to push and crush me against the speakers. Feet flung themselves off the stage and over the crowd, knocking heads and shoulders, arms and elbows were protruding everywhere. Under the red light, it almost felt like a total bloodbath in the audience and on stage. Lead singer Patrick Flynn, nearly out of breath, took a moment to dedicate their final song to his mother who recently passed, as well as all the loved ones of those close to him, reminding the audience that we’re never really alone, even after death. The band blew me away. 

Photo Credit: Lexie Alley

Finally, it was time for shoegaze icons Slowdive to take the main stage. Without much to say to the audience, the band opened with “Avalyn.” The slow hypnotic nature of their sound, coupled with the scintillating and oscillating visuals on the backdrop behind them, seemed to enchant the whole audience. The whole crowd was swaying in unison to song after song. Rachel Goswell’s ethereal vocals echoed throughout the venue, enrapturing me, especially as the band played through my favorite song of theirs, “When The Sun Hits.” After a magical hour-long performance, the band concluded with an encore of “Machine Gun” and “40 Days.” The night had come to an end, and the second day of the festival had been a huge success.