The Linda Lindas @ Paradise Rock Club 4/23

Photography by Annabel Friedman

Review by Annabel Friedman

Opener Pinkshift

Punk-rock quartet The Linda Lindas reminded Boston that the genre is alive and thriving and younger than ever this past Wednesday night. This band is composed of Eloise Wong on bass, Lucia de la Garza on guitar, Mila de la Garza on drums, and Bela Salazar on guitar, all artists ranging between the ages of 14 and 18. These Los Angeles natives have been on tour for their sophomore album “No Obligations,” a pop-punk ode to growing up that proves why the band deserved a spot opening for Green Day and Paramore in past years. The band is authentically cool, and this tour proves their talent goes way beyond their years. 

The crowd was filled with all ages, from sixty-year old friend groups to young parents with their five-year-old wearing big headphones. The diverse crowd seemed to all have something in common when opener Pinkshift took the stage and got everyone on their feet. The Baltimore band did their job well. Soon, there was a palpable energy in the air, shrouded in fog from smoke machines and bubbles from handheld guns that they would bring out later during the Linda Lindas set.

The Linda Lindas

The band opened the show with the title track from the album, “No Obligation,” and the show was off to an energetic start as Eloise Wong bounced around the stage. Heads were banging, feet were moving, and the crowd was picking up the girls’ energy.

Next up were “Resolution/Revolution” and “Yo Me Estreso” which perfectly encapsulated this new wave of punk rock with a more progressive twist. During the second chorus of the latin-punk track “Yo Me Estreso,” the band told the audience to scream at the top of their lungs, turning into an ear-piercing, head-banging mosh.

Often an album tour will exclude the lesser tracks off of the album, but No Obligations was all left out on the stage, along with some hits from debut album “Growing Up” and covers from Talking Heads and Green Day.

The Linda Lindas offered an eclectic blend of punk rock and power pop, all before the end of high school. The quartet had classic punk cartoon visuals projected onto the stage, rotating animations and flashing the band’s name; I couldn’t help but think of the 2003 movie “School of Rock.” The band played the Talking Heads song “I Found a Job,” a surprising pick and immediate crowd pleaser. Guitarist Lucia de la Garza took this song break to tell the audience that they picked the song only the day before, but the performance made it sound like an original. 

Following the unique cover choice was a textbook headbanger, “Nino” about guitarist Bela Salazar’s beloved pet cat. With the band repeatedly screaming “killer of mice and rats,” it goes without saying that I was captivated. This song was also a lovely demonstration of the balance of roles the band shared, this song being sung by Salazar, but all the girls seemed to share the leading role well.

Bassist Eloise Wong stuck out as the most energetic bassist the world has ever seen. Wong was running up and down the length of the stage, stepping onto the barricade during solos, and getting back to back with cousin and fellow guitarist Lucia de La Garza. During the last song of the set, the band was again joined by Pinkshift, loaded with bubble guns and beach balls that they began throwing into the crowd.

The Linda Lindas are a great reminder that punk rock is alive and thriving in this generation and armed with social consciousness. While the punk scene was built on rebellion, The Linda Lindas and Pinkshift show how even a 900-person venue can be used as a call to action on critical social issues. While none of these girls have even graduated high school, their poignant address to Palestine, the Congo, and the fight against fascism was a great display of the Gen-Z spirit without feeling too much like an AP Government project. All in all, The Linda Lindas are a hit.