Samia @ House of Blues 5/21
Photography by Maya Santow
Review by Kendal Evans
With her heartfelt lyrics and immersive sound, Samia took the Boston House of Blues on a magical carousel ride: the second stop of her Bloodless Tour. 
Samia Najimy Finnerty, known as Samia, is the staple indie folk/ rock girl – if she’s not on your indie playlists, she should be. Her third studio album Bloodless was released on April 25 this year, following her two iconic albums The Baby and Honey. Though she comes from a family of successful actors, her musical talent shines beyond the family name. Bloodless has garnered praise from critics for its lush instrumentals and themes of identity and self (and personally, it is my favorite album of 2025 so far).
The show opened with New York City based artist (and best friend of Samia) Rafaella. Her indie pop-rock bangers and electric energy made for a fantastic start to the show. Many of the tracks in her set are unreleased, as she is playing them on this tour ahead of her untitled debut record. Standout unreleased tracks included “Courtney” and “Bone,” both of which I’m greatly looking forward to hearing on the new record. She also played some of her bigger hits, including “BLONDE,” “BUICK,” and “drama queen.” from her 2022 EP LIVE, RAFF, LOVE (ACT ONE). All in all, Rafaella’s set was incredibly enjoyable, and I personally can’t wait to see her get her flowers upon her record release. Rafaella will continue to support Samia on the Bloodless tour until June 7, after which Renny Conti and Hank Heaven will open.
Bathed in blue light, Samia and the band (comprised of Ned “French” Steves, Boone Wallace, and Noah “Wormy” Raunchwerk) took to the stage at 9 p.m. sharp. The crowd was immediately sucked in as the airy guitars of her hit song “Triptych” echoed through the venue. The clever lyrics and slow burn instrumental build up made it such a fun opening track and set the tone for the whole show.
The stage set almost brought the outside in. The lights were reminiscent of outdoor pathway lights, and on center stage sat a lawn chair, which in my opinion perfectly encapsulates the overall vibe of Bloodless. I later found out from a friend that the chair was DoorDashed from the Fenway Target, making it a last minute addition to the stage set. But I can’t picture the show without it! Samia donned jorts and red cami, with bikini strings poking out, further bringing a lakeside campsite energy to the experience. 
The setlist continued with seven consecutive tracks from Bloodless, which to me felt like it was split into three distinct sections. The first run was made up of “Dare,” “Fair Game,” and “Sacred.” These three tracks are more chill instrumentally, but really showcased Samia’s vocal ability. My personal favorite from this run was “Fair Game,” as the quippy lyrics combined with Samia’s laid back performance made for an ethereal listening experience.
Then, Samia and the band played the lead single from Bloodless, “Bovine Excision.” She introduced the song by saying it is “about cow surgery.” Similar to “Triptych,” the song features her token clever lyrics and an incredible instrumental buildup. However, it is grittier and darker, making for a great changeup from the more folky and laid back run of songs that came before it.
The set returned to a more relaxed vibe once again with the next run of songs from Bloodless, “Proof,” “Carousel,” and “Hole in a Frame.” “Proof” made for a particularly memorable experience, as the voices of the crowd fill the venue with release and angst during the song’s refrain: “You don’t know me b*tch.”
After this, the set switched up to include a couple of songs from Samia’s previous albums. The first, “Kill Her Freak Out,” from Honey, is a slow-paced, instrumentally simple fan favorite. Similar to her performance of “Proof,” this song elicited a cathartic crowd reaction during the chorus. Everyone in the room, including myself, shouted the words: “I hope you marry the girl from your hometown, and I’ll f*cking kill her, and I’ll f*cking freak out.” Before the tour, Samia pitted the two songs against each other in an Instagram poll for a spot on the setlist, but I can’t imagine the set without either. The next song, “Big Wheel” from her debut album The Baby, is an upbeat folky banger and another fan favorite.
The next run of songs was again from Bloodless, and it was incredibly special, as it included my personal favorites from the album: “Spine Oil,” “Craziest Person,” “Lizard,” and “North Poles.” It was incredibly special to hear “North Poles” in the same room as the person it is about, Rafaella. Before performing it, Samia dedicated the song to her best friend. While listening, I also thought of my best friend, and it made me feel so incredibly happy and uplifted.
Samia closed out the main set with two more songs: “Fit N Full” from The Baby and “Pants” from Bloodless. It was so incredible to hear “Pants” live, as it is one of her more experimental tracks and the closer to Bloodless. She introduced the song by saying it is about when you buy a pair of pants and have a crisis about who you are, which is very real and rarely talked about phenomena.
The encore then ensued as the band returned to the stage. It began with my favorite Samia song overall, “Pool.” I’ve seen it live before when she opened for Bleachers, and I will never get sick of seeing it live. Then, she played “Is There Something In the Movies,” one of her most streamed songs. Finally, the encore closed with “Honey,” a fun folk-pop song that grabbed the attention of the crowd fully. She announced it as a “sing-a-long” and it seemed every person in the venue danced and sang their hearts out.
Given that this was only the second stop on the Bloodless tour, there are plenty more opportunities to see Samia live this year. This was absolutely the best show I’ve seen this year and I’d recommend anyone who enjoys this genre of music to catch a show!