Photo Credit: Stella Pham<\/p>\n
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Review by Iris Broisat<\/span><\/p>\n Five bands took the stage Oct. 3, 2026, at Dorchester Brewing Co. for the second night of Junkfest, an annual music festival organized by Junkyard.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The brewery was transformed for the event. Colorful decorations, from circus props to butterflies hanging from the ceiling, filled the stage, illuminated with bright orange lighting. Everywhere you looked, there were new details to discover.<\/span><\/p>\n Opening at 6 p.m., Cut the Kids in Half performed tracks from their 2025 indie rock album \u201cWhat We Became,\u201d drawing everyone in the venue closer to the stage. The crowd danced and sang, starting the night on a lively, energetic note.<\/span><\/p>\n Next, Boston-based underground rock band Sophie\u2019s Body showcased tracks from their EPs \u201cThings I Want\u201d and \u201cMandatory Girl,\u201d along with several singles.<\/span><\/p>\n Key Found took the stage at 8 p.m. While the band was setting up, a presenter walked out holding a baby doll and joked, “I’m nervous about how rock \u2018n\u2019 roll is affecting my baby,\u201d earning laughs from the audience.<\/span><\/p>\n The Boston-based band opened with its 2026 single \u201cRadium Girl.\u201d Filled with haunting vocal harmonies, surf-rock guitar riffs and a heavy drum beat, the track carried a distinct \u201860s rock feel, almost like listening to a scratchy vinyl record. The band\u2019s aesthetic reinforced that sound: bell bottoms, brown belts, leather shoes and a vest and tie worn by singer and guitarist Jack Dobbins gave the group a vintage Beatles-esque look.<\/span><\/p>\n Performing originals from their 2024 album \u201cSalamander Hotel\u201d and unreleased tracks, the indie-rock band delivered silky guitar solos, distorted riffs and halftime breakdowns that sparked mosh pits throughout the crowd.<\/span><\/p>\n During \u201cWaiting To Sail,\u201d guitarist Patrick Baggett removed his sweater to reveal a white T-shirt reading \u201cFuck Cornell,\u201d prompting loud cheers from the audience.<\/span><\/p>\n Songs including \u201cGutter,\u201d \u201cEven Steven,\u201d and a cover of Alex Olsen\u2019s \u201cSomeday I\u2019ll Get It,\u201d showcased the band\u2019s instrumental skills through delayed guitar solos, intriguing harmonies and a one-legged bass solo by Charles Boyes. The chemistry between the band members was apparent, as they frequently faced each other to sing, laugh and dance.<\/span><\/p>\n Boyes snapped a picture of the crowd \u201cfor my mom\u201d before breaking out into \u201cFictional Childhood,\u201d during which the crowd was invited to sing along in a call-and-response; flashing lights and dancing fans ended Key Found\u2019s set with pure energy.<\/span><\/p>\n When the presenter returned to the stage, she had an anguished look on her face. Holding up the doll, she said, \u201cI’m a bit worried my baby might slowly be getting possessed by rock \u2018n\u2019 roll,\u201d before announcing the next band.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Performing songs from their 2025 album \u201cTED OR ALIVE!\u201d and 2025 EP \u201cTED,\u201d Ruby Leftstep adopted an alternative rock sound, similar to that of Green Day.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It didn\u2019t take long for the New Hartford, Connecticut band to rile up the crowd: after drummer Eddie Dahill screamed, \u201cLet me see you dance!\u201d and encouraged everybody to take a step towards the stage, mosh pits formed and fans crowd-surfed. The band\u2019s energy matched the crowd’<\/span>s<\/span>, with members jumping up and down and singing so loud their voices broke.<\/span><\/p>\n Many songs such as \u201cPlastic Stranger\u201d and \u201cI Told You So\u201d were built up throughout, beginning with reverbed guitar riffs before the drums kicked in and distorted chords and raspy vocals took over.<\/span><\/p>\n During one of their most dynamic songs, singer Dylan Hrinda instructed the crowd to crouch down before the song climax. The audience complied, erupting as the heavy drums entered.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Ruby Leftstep thanked Junkyard before Thomas Busemeyer suddenly strummed the opening chords to the band\u2019s hit \u201cShuteye.\u201d The crowd sang the chorus at the top of their lungs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Before the final act, the presenter returned holding the doll alongside a pack of Marlboro Reds, crying out, \u201cI just caught my baby smoking a cigarette outside!” before introducing Makeout Palace as \u201cthe band you\u2019ve all been waiting for.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The Boston-based band stood out with its intriguing visual aesthetic. Vocalist Eva Levin wore a flowing Renaissance-style dress, while guitarist Colin appeared in a blue wizard cloak complete with a long white wig and beard.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The band\u2019s sound was equally impressive, evoking early Sonic Youth. The musicians showcased impressive instrumental technique through powerful fry screams and intricate rhythmic shifts.<\/span><\/p>\n The hardcore punk and indie rock band performed songs from its 2023 album \u201cMAKEOUT PALACE!\u201d and 2026 EP \u201c4Play.\u201d Though the latter had only recently been released, the crowd belted each lyric.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Each track featured memorable bass solos, angelic harmonies, silky sweep-picked arpeggios and smooth saxophone lines. The members played with unrestrained energy, best reflected by a chipped drum cymbal worn down by the drummer\u2019s intensity.<\/span><\/p>\n During \u201cOh My God,\u201d audience members and concert volunteers all came together to dance. Levin, out of breath, joked she was losing her voice.<\/span><\/p>\n The set closed with \u201cThreesome,\u201d a fast-paced song during which the presenter\u2019s doll was thrown up in the air amongst the moshing crowd, before an encore performance of \u201cMarty McFly\u201d ended the night with intense vigor.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Photo Credit: Stella Pham Review by Iris Broisat Five bands took the stage Oct. 3, 2026, at Dorchester Brewing Co. for the second night of Junkfest, an annual music festival organized by Junkyard.\u00a0 The brewery was transformed for the event. Colorful decorations, from circus props to butterflies hanging from the ceiling, filled the stage, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26292,"featured_media":55084,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1525,1523,15,1],"tags":[327,2788,2787],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55081"}],"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\/26292"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55081"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55081\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55219,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55081\/revisions\/55219"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55084"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}