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Hailing from Cavan, Ireland, mod\/blues revival band the Strypes played Brighton Music Hall on Wednesday, their first time in Boston since 2014. They are touring their third studio album <\/span>Spitting Image <\/span><\/i>(2017), as well as later EP <\/span>Almost True<\/span><\/i> (2017).<\/span><\/p>\n Given their reputation as an energetic live act, The Strypes did not disappoint. The band members\u2019 ages are only 20 to 22, singer Ross Farrelly being the youngest, which adds a youthful charm to their performances and an energy older bands strain to achieve.<\/span><\/p>\n After an hour and a half of cycling through a playlist including the Clash, the Jam, and Dr. Feelgood, the Strypes walked on stage with no opener. Indiana native Peter Oren had been tagged as support for this tour, but apparently since dropped. With bassist Pete O\u2019Hanlon cracking a quick joke about the show\u2019s billed title (\u201cAn Evening with the Strypes\u201d), the band launched into their fast-paced cover of Hambone Willie Newbern\u2019s \u201cRollin\u2019 and Tumblin\u2019,\u201d off their debut album <\/span>Snapshot <\/span><\/i>(2013). Clearly a song to show off their musicianship rather than songwriting ability, it heavily features guitarist Josh McClorey performing multiple solos. Listening to him play is one thing, but seeing his hands move is another experience entirely. Their ages make this amount of talent all the more impressive.<\/span><\/p>\n Without a break between songs, the band smoothly transitioned into \u201cEighty-Four,\u201d a track from their second album, <\/span>Little Victories <\/span><\/i>(2015), with a much more Arctic Monkeys-inspired sound than <\/span>Snapshot<\/span><\/i>. This song features McClorey and Farrelly both on vocals. When McClorey takes the mic, Farrelly, tambourine in hand, falls into step with O\u2019Hanlon, joking around and making up choreography on the fly to keep himself busy before returning to the mic. These moments of humor make their live act even more entertaining, especially for those who are only casual listeners of the band.<\/span><\/p>\n The setlist carefully balanced tracks from each album, often grouping them together for smoother transitions. The only song played off <\/span>Almost True<\/span><\/i> was \u201cFreckle and Burn,\u201d a brilliant XTC-influenced hard rock song written by O\u2019Hanlon and drummer Evan Walsh. As <\/span>Almost True<\/span><\/i> has not yet been released in the United States, O\u2019Hanlon quipped, \u201cIn a very shrewd move, we have bootlegged ourselves,\u201d referring to the pile of bootlegged EPs at the merch table. The song bursts with energy particularly at the bridge, which features synths in the recording that were replaced by guitar when played live. At the end of the song, Walsh had a moment to shine as he launched into a brief but powerful drum solo, that smoothly led the band into another McClorey-Farrelly duet from <\/span>Spitting Image<\/span><\/i>, \u201cEasy Riding.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The band then slowed it down for the blues song \u201cAngel Eyes,\u201d which had not been played live since their <\/span>Snapshot <\/span><\/i>tour. Before the crowd lost any energy, O\u2019Hanlon asked, \u201cHow would yous feel about some fast songs?\u201d Checking the setlist, McClorey quickly corrected him, playing a riff from not-so-fast \u201cBehind Closed Doors.\u201d O\u2019Hanlon laughed off his mistake (\u201cIn a bit!\u201d) and they quickly came back with the <\/span>Spitting Image<\/span><\/i> single, particularly popular for its brilliant music video directed by Finn Keenan, who has been directing their videos since their first EP, <\/span>Young, Gifted, and Blue<\/span><\/i> (2012).<\/span><\/p>\n Following \u201cBehind Closed Doors\u201d and later single \u201cGreat Expectations,\u201d the band then took it back to <\/span>Snapshot<\/span><\/i> (\u201c<\/span>Now<\/span><\/i> it\u2019s time for those fast songs!\u201d), bringing up the crowd\u2019s energy with \u201cMystery Man\u201d and \u201cWhat A Shame,\u201d a single which the band played on Letterman during their first American tour in 2014. \u201cStill Gonna Drive You Home,\u201d a highly interactive song with a very Western feel, and crowd favorite \u201cScumbag City\u201d finished off the set before the band walked off stage with a wave.<\/span><\/p>\n Minutes later they returned, somehow even more energized, with Nick Lowe cover \u201cHeart of the City,\u201d followed by another electric solo by Walsh. O\u2019Hanlon and McClorey step to the side to give the audience a full view of Walsh, while Farrelly sits down in front of the drum set, laughing and shaking his head at their drummer\u2019s sheer talent. Walsh then transitions into the irresistibly catchy blues song that made their careers, \u201cBlue Collar Jane.\u201d The show ended at a mere 10 p.m., but a good portion of the crowd stayed far longer to meet the band afterward. I spoke with each member about the show, the tour, and the album, and despite their success and talent at such a young age each member is extremely humble, and more than willing to enter into a full conversation, giving each fan individualized attention. Listeners should expect new music by 2019, as Walsh said they will not be making the festival circuit this summer in favor of writing the next album.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n -Zoe Salvucci<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hailing from Cavan, Ireland, mod\/blues revival band the Strypes played Brighton Music Hall on Wednesday, their first time in Boston since 2014. They are touring their third studio album Spitting Image (2017), as well as later EP Almost True (2017). Given their reputation as an energetic live act, The Strypes did not disappoint. The band […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13221,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1525],"tags":[33,215,26,97,31,353,25],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1500"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13221"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1500"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1500\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1502,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1500\/revisions\/1502"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1500"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1500"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1500"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}