![\"IMG_0725.JPG\"](\"\/wtbu\/files\/2017\/09\/IMG_0725.JPG-636x393.jpeg\")
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Much has changed since the last time NE-HI graced the stage of the Middle East Upstairs this past March. For one, their album Offers<\/em>, a one-month old babe at the time of their last tour, has since fully matured and gained heavy traction. And as guitarist and vocalist Jason Balla had pointed out, it wasn\u2019t raining ice chunks, making this mild September Boston night seem a little less apocalyptic. One constant, though, was the infectious level of energy that has become a staple of NE-HI\u2019s live shows.<\/p>\n Before NE-HI\u2019s electric return, local indie rock band The Owens opened with their dreamy, goth-infused sounds. Though their songs are decidedly melancholy, The Owens manage to transform the tracks live by giving them a heavier presentation\u2014closer to a rock show that an indie bedroom band pity party. Tracks like \u201cJudgement Day\u201d off of their latest EP Redemption Day<\/em> in addition to older songs warmed the slowly growing crowd for the night.<\/p>\n Following was NYC-based rock band Honduras. Previously a band that closely mimicked the sound of Arctic Monkeys with the wit of the Strokes, Honduras has begun to grow into their own with more distinctive and pleasantly unsettling rock tunes. Like the other two bands of the night, Honduras delivered an explosive, impassioned set, featuring tracks like their Spotify-popular \u201cParalyzed.\u201d<\/p>\n Once NE-HI\u2019s set rolled around, the Middle East had begun to pack out, though the crowd was considerably thinner this time around (likely owed to the fact that it was on a Sunday night as opposed to the last Boston show on a Friday). However, NE-HI did not skimp on energy. As usual, Balla slipped about the stage as if doing a chaotic ice dancing routine to the soundtrack of NE-HI\u2019s sharp, catchy licks. \u201cStay Young,\u201d one of the more popular songs, served as the opener for the night. The song naturally builds excited tension, which was echoed by the crowd before NE-HI transitioned into an unbridled take of \u201cHaunted Summer.\u201d The latter is from their s\/t 2014 debut, as was \u201cSince I\u2019ve Been Thinking,\u201d which followed.<\/p>\n \u201cSince I\u2019ve Been Thinking\u201d in particular has become somewhat of a notable feature in NE-HI\u2019s sets. The tune itself is lackluster when compared to the infectious hooks found in Offers<\/em>, but when performed live, it takes on a whole new life. Balla seemingly jumps into the mic at the beginning of each line, while the rest of the band (composed of Mikey Wells, James Weir, and Alex Otake) harmonizes in terms of both sound and intensity.<\/p>\n Despite the old favorite being a highlight, NE-HI also showcased plenty of tracks from Offers<\/em> including the title track, \u201cProve,\u201d and \u201cSisters,\u201d a particularly stand out track with just the right amount of angst and poppy hooks.<\/p>\n NE-HI stylistically isn\u2019t groundbreaking (think Beach Fossils with Midwestern charm), but they set themselves apart dramatically with their sheer passion when playing live. It was evident is Balla\u2019s moves, the band sweating a song and a half in, and their humble attitude\u2014these Chicago boys aren\u2019t above playing a half-empty club. But judging by the show NE-HI put on, perhaps the club was really actually half full.<\/p>\n -Olivia Gehrke<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Much has changed since the last time NE-HI graced the stage of the Middle East Upstairs this past March. For one, their album Offers, a one-month old babe at the time of their last tour, has since fully matured and gained heavy traction. And as guitarist and vocalist Jason Balla had pointed out, it wasn\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13221,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1525],"tags":[33,112,26,185,186,111,184,25],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/832"}],"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=832"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/832\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":834,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/832\/revisions\/834"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}