Boston Calling 2013 Day One Recap

While alternative music festivals used to just be the province of Great Britain (QRO U.K. Festival Guide), they’ve long since expanded to all four corners of North America (QRO North American Festival Guide) – well, almost all four corners, as the Northeast has been mostly overlooked.  There have been some stabs from elsewhere, like the ill-fated American version of London’s Field Day back in the nineties, or Coachella coming east in All Points West, but they haven’t stuck.  But now the Northeast is taking care of itself, as New York’s alt-star concert promoter Bowery Presents came to Beantown in Boston Calling, two great days of music right in the center of town at City Hall Plaza (in the shadow of City Hall itself), Saturday & Sunday, May 25th & 26th.

First things first, yes, it was a cold and rainy Saturday at Boston Calling.  Though note that it wasn’t freezing or gusting, just damp and nippy; it wasn’t pouring rain, just drizzling on and off.  And the brick ground of City Hall Plaza meant it didn’t get muddy…

Bad Rabbits

Click image for full gallery

There was a big roar at the start of Boston Calling – for locals Bad Rabbits.  The hip-hop outfit have been around for a few years now, and while they haven’t broken out nationally, they still have a big hometown following.  And they more than ably served as the only hip-hop offering at the otherwise indie-pop (i.e., white…) Boston Calling.

Also special props are due Bad Rabbits for later, when being interviewed for a college radio station, and the radio DJ asked them about being the only Boston act at the festival – with which a Bad Rabbit immediately noted that fellow Beantowners Caspian (see Day Two) were opening up Sunday.

St. Lucia

Click image for full gallery

Boston Calling went more electro as St. Lucia took the City Hall Stage.  The smaller second stage, under the monstrous (and monstrously ugly) concrete City Hall held more dancetronic acts in general, and the admittedly smaller space still had the crowd packed in so early in the day.  The group apologized for the weather (and they do sound better in a club).

Cults

Click image for full gallery

The crowd at the Main Stage only got bigger for Cults.  The audience in general at Boston Calling was not only younger than your usual concert crowd, but young even for a festival crowd – Memorial Day Weekend and super downtown location made it easy for kids (even for parents with children), and the bands on Day One were certainly youth-friendly.  Cults are now a few years removed from their breakthrough hit (this set was actually a rare expedition out from the studio, where they’re working on their follow-up to their self-titled debut – QRO review), but still give it their all behind “You Know What I Mean”.

MS MR

Click image for full gallery

Back over at the City Hall Stage was another electro band, MS MR.  While a male-female duo officially (and in name…), singer Lizzy Plapinger seemed to more take center stage, and when she did, the group were reminiscent of U.K. hit lady Ellie Goulding (QRO live review).  Max Hershenow seems more akin to The Neighbourhood (QRO photos), a sort of label creation that MS MR also can also seem to be at times.

Matt & Kim

Click image for full gallery

No matter how wet or cold it gets, Matt & Kim deliver live – indeed, drummer Kim Schifino (QRO interview) told the crowd that she likes it “wet & dirty…”  The crowd & the band were in high spirits (though Kim mentioned it was “another wet one,” like they had played last Saturday at Prospect Park in Brooklyn for The Great Googa Mooga – QRO photos – not a good name to check, considering that the Sunday of Googa was cancelled due to storms…) – singer/guitarist Matt Johnson (QRO interview) mentioned that New Englanders could take any amount of rain & cold, then said he knows that because he’s from Vermont & she’s from Rhode Island.

Admittedly a similar set to last Saturday, there were some changes – there was no ‘crowd surfing booty-dance’ like Kim so often does (wetness would make that more dangerous), but they did have their “two dollar & ninety-nine cents fireworks display” (QRO interview) in handing out balloons, asking the crowd to blow them up and then throw them up into the air, which worked well.  Kim challenged the crowd to get crazy, pointing out crowd-surfer who surfed with poncho wrapped around his ankle (“like he walked out of a port-a-potty with toilet paper on his shoe…”) and girl with yellow dyed hair (Kim said her black locks were a weave…), then offered her sneakers to whoever got craziest – and did thrown them out into the crowd after the set (was later scene in yellow wellingtons…).

Portugal. The Man

Click image for full gallery

In the unenviable slot following Matt & Kim was Portugal. The Man.  However, the modern psych-rock band has a big following, which was out in force.  That did mean a lot of bros in the crowd (which was especially difficult for QRO’s photographer because, for some reason, photographers weren’t allowed in the pit at the City Hall Stage and had to shoot from in the crowd – causing countless photographer complaints…).  Their set varied on the song – they killed it with singles like “Got It All” and “So American”, but other songs felt like filler.

The Shins

Click image for full gallery

Before The Shins took the stage, Boston Mayor Tom Menino did – considering he’s in his last term, and the festival is literally on his doorstep, he really couldn’t miss it.  The weather had gotten colder as the sun went down – created the neat phenomenon of people in the beer garden huddling above the two large square grates that funneled hot air from the subway up (it was actually a neat way to meet other festival goers).  The Shins started with the odd, electro-tropical “The Rifle’s Spiral”, the starter on new record Port of Morrow (QRO review), but then hit up oldies and singles, which actually kind of worked with the weather, as Shins classics have a kind of ‘smiling in the rain’ nature, but it was a little hard to get energized.

Marina & The Diamonds

Click image for full gallery

After technical problems and many false start cheers, Marina & The Diamonds took on the City Hall Stage.  There were lots of seventeen-year-old girls in attendance for the risen U.K. songstresses/“heartbreaker” (as she was introduced & the neon sign behind her said).

fun.

Click image for full gallery

But lots of young people were at Boston Calling specifically, even only, for fun.  That can seem kind of insulting to the earlier, better bands (at least to hipsters – or your correspondent…), it is good that fun. is bringing new fans to those bands.  And one has to admit that fun. is hard-working, coming off doing a special surprise slot at a Heineken event, and just about to head out on a European tour.  Admittedly they are a white band – singer Nate Ruess didn’t exactly have any funky dance moves (mostly running his hand through his hair or faking a throw)…