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Something in the Way Fest 2025: Live updates from Roadrunner
The two-day event kicked off Saturday.
Boston was home to a musical buffet of fan-favorite bands from the intersection and expansion of indie rock, punk, emo, and dream pop this past weekend.
The Bowery Presents, the company behind venues from The Sinclair in Harvard Square to Roadrunner to Asbury Lanes in New Jersey, and Run For Cover Records, who represent a solid majority of the festival’s lineup, teamed up to present an all-star festival from the extended indie rock universe, according to the festival’s website.
From the barricade, here are the essential updates and reviews from the festival:
SUNDAY:
slowdive brings the crowd together with atmospheric closing set
The band slowdive is shoegaze royalty and has the fanbase to match. Formed in 1989 in Reading, Berkshire, the band is made up of Rachel Goswell, Neil Halstead, Christian Savill, Nick Chalpin, and Simon Scott. Halstead and Goswell, who had been friends since they were 6 years old, were the band’s first members, although their name would not be slowdive or have a full lineup until 1994.
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The band began their set with a background more similar to what you’d expect from the next installment in a brat summer visualization than anything else: A deep green light show to accompany the resonant sound the band is known for.
Streaming white light painted a smattering of circles of light onto the audience members, imbuing the set with an essence closer to a religious service than a concert. If they’d pulled out stage-sized stained glass windows it would have been unsurprising.
“Thank you,” said Goswell before the band’s effect-heavy instrumentation filled the space and blue, gauzy spotlights illuminated the rapt faces of the audience.
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Although the lyrics were relatively indiscernible, the feeling that the band created transcended the need for them. Love for pure moving, free-flowing sound possessed the stage.
A crowd that spent a large majority of the day crowding the stage and elbowing folks deep in the mosh pit took a break to appreciate slowdive. Whereas Saturday’s Balance and Composure set left only true fans in its wake, the slowdive set appeared to act more as a meeting point for all local shoegaze fans.
Endless shapes and patterns filled the backdrop behind the band. And endless phones went into the air to capture the sound and picture being presented to the audience.
Not as confrontational as acts such as Mannequin Pussy, the band relied on atmosphere to keep the attention of the crowd. And atmosphere they certainly delivered.
Mannequin Pussy: ‘The only thing you should pledge allegiance to is yourself‘
Punk/indie rock band Mannequin Pussy, like TAGABOW (below), also began in Philadelphia.
Down the lineup, you’ll find Marisa “Missy” Dabice , Kaleen Reading, Colins “Bear” Regisford and Maxine Steen. During live performances, the band members are joined by multi-instrumentalist Carolyn Haynes.
“What’s up, Boston,” said Dabice as the set began.
With leaps and bounds and lines screamed into the mic, the band brought an impossible-to-deny rockstar glamour to the stage.
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As the lights dimmed between songs, the crowd, rather than voluntary taking a step, seemed to be pulled without their knowledge towards the performance.
Dabice went on the say the group wasn’t planning on having “Control” on the set list, but a member of the band Fiddlehead request it and thus “Control” made its way to the crowd’s ears.
The band has an intrigue, a stage presence and a power that drew the adoring cries of the cavernous room.
Quick, free guitar and a sort of gravity created by Dabice craft a kind of style you might expect from a band 10, 15 years into their career. Mannequin Pussy is only five.
Dabice began a monologue to the boys in the room, imploring the men to improve how they act towards and treat their fellow people.
“Start calling out your boys when they’re not acting like good boys,” said Dabice before playing “Loud Bark.”
Dabice’s magnetism, a dynamic whiplash between whispered orders to the crowd and lyrics belted out towards the back of the room, cannot be replicated nor fully described.
The crowd’s reaction, screaming along to the lyrics of “I Got Heaven” even in the back corners of the room, is also impossible to ignore.
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A backdrop of two angels going in for a smooch filled the stage’s backdrop as the band made it clear that turning attention away from their set would amount to an impossible task.
“They will do everything they can to get you to pledge allegiance to this country which is a pile of myths and violence,” said Dabice to a crowd already putting their hands together. “The only thing you should pledge allegiance to is yourself and your community.”
Blending the hallmarks of punk rock noise and sonic power with a spin of confrontational jabs at essential social justice causes, Mannequin Pussy continued to be a sight to behold through their whole set, including songs like “Pledge” and “OK? OK! OK? OK!”
Philly’s TAGABOW recreates feeling of a house show
They Are Gutting A Body Of Water, known by fans as TAGABOW (tahg-ah-bow), is a shoegaze band with an EDM attitude. TAGABOW began in Philadelphia as a solo project from songwriter and guitarist Douglas Dulgarian. Over time, their line up evolved to include bassist Emily Lofing, guitarist PJ Carroll, and drummer Ben Opatut.
Described as an “homage to the unknown” by Philadelphia radio station WXPN, TAGABOW is known for taking the well laid foundation of the shoegaze genre from the likes of the band my bloody valentine and building a completely unexpected structure of noise and electronic TK on top if it. Like putting a circus tent on a concrete block intended for condos.
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TAGABOW’s set began around 3:45 on the smaller of the two stages, to a crowd that appeared to be ready to throw an elbow or jump on stage at any given moment.
A rising tide of electronic beats began their set. The only person facing the growing audience was Opatat. All the other instrumentalists on stage faced each other.
“We are They Are Gutting A Body Of Water,” said Dulgarian.
A single push on the right side of the crowd sparked a small fire of jostling bodies.
Between each song, percussive, experimental electronic sound erupted over the crowd, controlled by Dulgarian, and when a heavier song began, so too did the first crowd member take a leap into the waiting hands of the audience.
“Krillin” saw the first successful crowd surfer yo make it across a great deal of the crowd.
TAGABOW feels like being caught in the tide of a rising new movement of music. Part of that unique quality was the band’s staging, song intermission music, the fanfare of the crowd, and Dulgarian’s distinctive green hair.
For many local fans, it’s possible their love for the kind of music that makes you want to bob your head and stamp your feet (shoegaze, indie punk, rock, whatever you want to call it) began at a house show. That sort of prestige and mystery of burgeoning genre fans is not easy to reccreate, but TAGABOW’s Sunday set endeavored to do just that.
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A quick mishap was easily covered with a quick, confident “my bad” to the crowd.
The audience seemed to forgive him for wearing an Eagles jersey in Brighton, Massachusetts, although Dulgarian added an extra “go birds!” into the mic to end the show.
SATURDAY:
Balance and Composure serves a crowd surfing nightcap for Day 1
Following a four-year hiatus, this post-punk/shoegaze band, made up of Jon Simmons, Andy Slaymaker, Matt Warner, Erik Petersen, and Dennis Wilson, released their first LP in eight years in 2024.
The last set of Saturday’s lineup began with none other than ABBA.
Using “Dancing Queen” as a walk-on, Balance and Composure immediately filled the farthest reaches of the venue with drums, salient guitar, and vocals intended for the back rafters. The Grillo’s Pickle mascot also made its way across the mosh pit towards the stage, crowd surfing to the tune of “Parachutes,” the band’s first song of the night.
After Soccer Mommy’s set, possibly due to the sheer amount of standing that folks were doing all day, it seemed a crowd with a powerful force of die-hard fans was left to greet the last band of the day. And greet the band they did. “Reflection” was met with hands in the air.
With honest lyrics evocative of emotional conversations where everything is put on the table, the band created a sonic backdrop to hold up the stakes of the lyrics’ themes.
Synthesized harmonies atop cycling guitar created a futuristic sound, and made it feel like the floor was slowly ascending under the crowd’s feet on the power of the band’s noisy, effect-laden guitars during “restless.”
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A full bend at the waist could be expected from the crowd as a strobe-esque light show almost mimicked lightning surrounding the band.
The mosh pit created by the band during “ain’t it sweet” extended farther back into the crowd than during any other of the day’s sets, creating an unexpected last burst of energy.
“I know you’re tired, you’ve had a big, big festival day,” said Simmons. “We haven’t been in Boston in five years and this is our favorite place to play so we’ve been looking forward to this.”
Simmons took time during the set to acknowledge a collective experience.
“This January was rough man, oh my god,” he said. “But we’re out of that now, today’s a new day.”
The conversational, relatable manner Simmons spoke to the crowd appeared to be in contrast with the lyrics full of fbombs and emotional challenges. Beyond appearances, however, Simmons’s openness with the crowd felt like it inspired the audience to be more open back.
It allowed and even encouraged them to shout out the heart-wrenching lyrics, crowd surf, and jump to the rocking rhythms of the band’s discography – specifically “Afterparty.”
As the last set of the night, it’s difficult to keep up with the energy of folks who have presumably been on their feet all day but Balance and Composure managed to keep the crowd in their sights with their hands in the air.
Soccer Mommy balances dreamy, up-in-the-clouds synth with rhythm found on Earth
Sophie Allison, also known as Soccer Mommy, is a key piece of the listening history of most indie rock fans.
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“Thank you,” said Allison quietly before launching into fan favorite, “circle the drain.”
A background filled with an indiscernible natural landscape and flowing, moving spots filled the crowd’s eyes, bringing a woodland, mossy, almost fairytale aesthetic for the following set.
“We’re Soccer Mommy. Thank you guys for coming out. This is so fun,” said Allison.
Allison mentioned the album that the group released in 2024 called “Evergreen” before playing the heavier “Drive” as a noisy guitar or two added a layer of grunge and texture to the haunting, thoughtful lyrics. The crowd was also treated to a rendition of “Cool.”
Provocative bass lines acted as the engine for songs like “Shotgun” that ran along tracks charted by simple, clean drums. Allison’s clear voice and careful lyricism provided the wheels as resonant guitar parts filled out the rest of the necessary machinery to keep the train of Soccer Mommy’s indie-pop songs speeding ahead, right on time.
The crowd was full of people nodding their heads to the beat, closing their eyes against the sea of pink, red, and purple lights that scanned throughout the crowd.
“Thank you guys all so much for coming out,” said Allison.
Her song “Lost” made an appearance as well.
The dancing shapes and static, which were projected on the stage’s backdrop, also left a smattering of shadows along Allison’s skin, creating another level of mysterious depth to her synthy, dreamy performance.
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Soccer Mommy’s performance struck an interesting chord because it contains both a dreamlike state of being suspended by strings of synth and almost sweet vocals and guitar that sound like they would be more suited towards being added to an Ovlov song.
Hearing the grungier, heavier side of Soccer Mommy’s music live was a great reminder to expect more change, complexity, and grit, especially from unexpected places.
After a quick thanks to the crowd for sticking around, Allison rounded out the set with “Your Dog.”
American Football continues celebration of 25th anniversary
American Football released their acclaimed self-titled record while the band members were still in college. Since that release in 1999, the band spent a good 15 years apart before reuniting. Supported by the tides of the math rock/midwest emo music scene, American Football made a fiery return with more self-titled records released into the universe with collaborators from Paramore’s Haley Wiliams to San Holo.
You’ll presently find in their lineup the likes of Mike Kinsella, Steve Holmes, Nate Kinsella, and Steve Lamos added in with Mike Garzon and Cory Bracken, who are playing on their current tour.
In 2024, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their first release, a new version of their very first record was given to the public. Remastered by Jonathon Pines, “American Football (25th Anniversary Edition)” also came into their fans’ possession alongside “American Football (Covers),” which includes the talents of folks such as Iron & Wine, Blondshell, and Ethel Cain.
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The band’s set, marketed as a special set to celebrate the band’s 25th-anniversary edition of their LP at Roadrunner, began at 6:45 p.m.
Fans came out in droves to see the 25th-anniversary performance in the glow of a few sparsely placed lights. As the band arrived on stage and began building a looping, soothing tune, the stage’s backdrop lit up to reveal a shot of the iconic house that can be found on the original LP’s cover.
“Hi, we’re American Football. We’re so happy to be here, thank you for having us. … This is a bunch of songs we wrote a long time ago,” said Mike Kinsella, the band’s lead vocalist.
As Lamos took a second away from his drum kit to begin the entrancing trumpet solo from “The Summer Ends,” the crowd’s attention snagged and held.
Dynamic vocals from Mike Kinsella that wove themselves in the looping instrumentation were a nostalgic tie down to Earth during the almost otherworldly set. Each new song brought a slightly different image of the band’s famous house iconography to the huge screen, just as each musician brought a piece of musicality to each song.
It brought the crowd, who spent the day rushing various stages, a chance to kick back with their old favorites. There was plenty of head bobbing and nodding along to the beat to be found as the crowd aligned to the same sonic heartbeat to the tune of “Honestly.”
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Wind, sun, and lens flares affected the house imagery as the instrumentation filled and grew to suit the size of the room and crowd.
Each tune was a mystical production of delicate touches by the bandmates, which resembled pieces of stained glass more than slowcore or math rock songs, which always began to excited cheers of recognition from the crowd. Throughout, it was commonplace to see someone in the middle of the full room with their eyes closed, simply enjoying.
Throughout the set, percussive shakers of sand would come from three different corners of the stage, creating a more stirring yet easygoing rhythm that permeated the surface of the listening experience.
The band did a rendition of “I’ll See You When We’re Both Not So Emotional,” with an additional, charming use of tambourine by Mike Kinsella.
“Never Meant” closed out the band’s set, and Mike Kinsella made a joke to the crowd about getting paid to play things the band made “at your age.” And to let him know if that experience brought them shame.
If Kinsella felt resistance or embarrassment towards playing these nostalgic songs, it didn’t show in the music itself.
Ovlov welcomed to the festival stage by die-hard fanbase
Ovlov, the people’s princess of dream pop/indie rock, began their set at around 5 p.m., on the smaller of the two stages.
This band, known for their slowly built scaffolding of indie rock into a more experimental shoegaze sound as their discography continues, are also known for their die-hard fanbase. The band has an over-15-year-long history, which includes the frontman Steve Hartlett’s other musical project Stove.
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And fans love it. When Ovlov’s presence on this lineup was announced all over the internet, Reddit-ers on r/indieheads got to work expressing their glee.
“God I hope Ovlov blows the doors off at Roadrunner and makes everyone deaf for everything else,” wrote one user.
“We are Ovlov, hooray,” was the first thing the band said to the ever-growing crowd by Hartlett.
“Baby Blue,” a building, resonant intro, was the band’s first song.
Just a few lines into “Baby Shea”, a mosh pit opened up, and soon people were diving head first into the crowd, legs flailing. The crowd began shouting their thoughts on what the band’s set list should be at the first possible opportune silence.
The band chose “Eat More”, and that aforementioned mosh pit intensified.
If there was ever a more likeable frontman, I’ve never seen that person before. During each song, Hartlett seemed to be smiling out at the jumping crowd whose hands seemed to be permanently stuck in the air.
“Thank you,” said Hartlett, relatively often and with enthusiasm into the crowd. “Ah, what’s the next song?”
“Wishing Well” came and went with another thanks from Hartlett, before “Strokes” lit up the crowd with a new energy and a good amount of phones going up to take home a piece of the performance via video.
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If you ever want to see a man in Carhartt raise his fist and yell in triumph like he’s storming a battlefield, just go to an Ovlov show and wait for them to play anything off their 2021 record Buds.
“Alright, thank you everyone for being,” said Hartlett into the crowd before a rip-roaring rendition of “Really Bees” ended their set.
Great Grandpa debuts a new era of sonic power at Roadrunner
Great Grandpa, an awesome band to have on a relatively confusing T-shirt, is so back. Its 2019 album Four of Arrows was a highly acclaimed foray into endless indie rock for the group made up of close friends from the Pacific Northwest Al Menne, Dylan Hanwright, Cam LaFlam, and Pat and Carrie Goodwin.
After a long bout of the group taking a swing in its ever-changing professional lives separately beginning in fall 2020 according to the group’s website, Great Grandpa is on its first tour in five years, including a stop at Roadrunner’s Something In The Way Fest. Its reunion was brought about by a factor that is endlessly apparent in their music old and new – genuine care.
One of the band’s most recent releases, a single entitled “Kid,” tells the heartbreaking tale of bandmembers Pat and Carrie Goodwin’s loss of their first pregnancy through sweeping orchestral arrangements and grand harmonies that sound like they originate on some far-flung planet.
The group’s set on Roadrunner’s stage began around 3:15 p.m., with a “Hey everybody” to the crowd.
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Launching into one of the aforementioned hits from Four of Arrows, “Dark Green Water,” rang out into the crowded, cavernous space that Roadrunner is known for.
“We’re used to playing on smaller stages, so this game of musical chairs is usually much easier,” said Menne as the band swapped their cords and instruments around
“I’m going to acknowledge the size of this bass amp,” said Menne, embodying a quiet, yet steady energy on stage.
Hanwright announced to the crowd that its new record will be released on March 28, which was followed by claps and cheers. The band launched into one of their recently released singles “Junior,” after once again switching instruments around on the far side of the stage, with a little bit of giggling between the members caught on the far mics.
With its new song, something shifted in the band. The vocals seemed to be more divided amongst Menne, Pat Goodwin, and Hanwright, which then created a powerful monovoice during the chorus as the three sang in unison.
“I’m having a blast,” said Menne.
Its set ended with a heartfelt, slowly-building rendition of an equally heartfelt song — “Mono No Aware”.
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