It seems like every band I start to like lately goes on hiatus or breaks up as soon as I get really into them, so I’m really happy to say that the Southern Lust Club is actually BACK from a 7-month hiatus. And also, really fuckin’ awesome.
I just got to see Southern Lust Club for the first time on Saturday night at Johnny D’s in Davis Square, Somerville. This was their first gig after coming back from that break, not that you would have ever known based on how well they played.
When they kicked off the set with “Lonesome Jayne,” I immediately thought of the Black Crowes fused with good ole Southern rock. They debuted a few songs off their yet-to-be-released album, including “Help Yourself,” “ Revival,” and “The Monty Hall Problem,” all of which would be great to listen to in the car with the windows down on a summer day.
The highlights of the set included “Reach Up and Grab Me,” which featured new drummer Kevin ‘Koopa’ Sawyer, and “Electric Gospel,” which had a great chorus and got everyone dancing. The support of the crowd really carried through the whole show–these guys have a solid fan base, and it was great to be a part of it. The best songs of the night might have been “Rum Punch” and “Alameda;” they’re the kind of songs that you want to play on repeat over and over, until you can belt out the words along with them.
The covers that Southern Lust Club chose were really indicative of their style, and definitely added to the set: first, David Bowie’s “Modern Love,” which really suited vocalist Adam Stone, and Joe Cocker’s “Feelin’ Alright,” which got the already-supportive crowd clapping along.
The guys from Southern Lust Club seem really glad to be back on stage. They have a great rapport with eachother, and it was really fun to watch them open up as the night went on. They drew their set to a close with “When She Drinks,” which allowed Dan Barch (keyboards) and Seth Turner (lead guitar) to switch off on vocals, and we truly saw a lot more personality from guitarist Sean McCarthy and bassist Brenden Joseph as well.
The Self-Proclaimed Rockstars took the stage next, and since I’ve already written plenty about how awesome they are, all I will say is this: they have been in the studio for a solid 2 months, and you can see how much they’ve grown together in that time. Seeing them is always a total blast, but seeing them at Johnny D’s was the most cohesive, the most ON and in-tune with eachother that they’ve been I started following them.
- Southern Lust Club takes the stage with the Self-Proclaimed Rockstars.
On a sidenote, I had several friends say they were going to stop by to check out the show, but balked at the $12 cover charge at Johnny D’s. Yeah, it was a little steep, but I have to say, the finale made it SO worth the price. You can see a lot of shows in the Boston area in the $10 price range, but if you are looking to see true musicians and friends playing together, you need to see SLC +SPR. Seeing all the members of both bands share the stage for 3 final songs (the awesome “Suffragette City,” “Where Is My Mind,” and even “Johnny B. Goode”) was well worth the price. This is what music is about, this is why we’re all in this scene, and the support and camaraderie that both bands showed towards eachother makes me very proud to support both.
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You can check out Southern Lust Club next at the Middle East on Saturday, 8/4 at the Middle East downstairs, and hey, why not check out the Self-Proclaimed Rockstars at the same place on Friday, 8/3. You might get a free t-shirt, and they might cover some awesome Cranberries songs. Or not…
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