Black Moth Super Rainbow Played Boston - Pictures, Review

Last weekend we stopped in at Brighton Music Hall to catch a sold out set from abstract rockers Black Moth Super Rainbow.  The band was scheduled to play a sold out show at Bright Music Hall, and when we got there, it was more than clear that the room of enthusiastic fans were ready to hear from a band that hadn't been out on the live trail in quite some time.  Luckily for all involved, the band more than delivered, with an enthusiastic and killer set.

The two openers, The Marshmallow Ghosts and Lichens, delivered wholly different sets.  The Marshmallow Ghosts, who share a member with BMSR, delivered a set that was very reminiscent of Fuck Buttons.  Despite having a darker vibe than the headliner, the band kept the crowds attention with their "celebrity" status as a BMSR offshoot band.  Lichens, by contrast, offered up a 20 minute study in analog synth explorations that the crowd never quite locked into.  We're guessing that if the anticipation for BMSR hadn't been so high, this band might have garnered more attention, as their set was actually quite strong.

As BMSR hit the stage, the crowd was clearly stoked.  However, the band kept it calm, with banter at a minimum, and a clear focus on delivering a killer set.  While band member Tobacco has, at times, been seen as the center of the band, there was a clear effort to dissuade this notion.  Not only was he positioned off stage left, but there was a clear feeling of balance and equity in the band's performance and delivery.

The band's set was hugely diverse, and found all the members swapping instruments on a song by song basis.  Some of the stronger numbers of the night included "Twin Of Myself", "Melt Me", "Rollerdisco", "When The Sun Grows On Your Tongue", "Lost Picking Flowers In The Woods", and "Born On A Day The Son Didn't Rise".  The crowd reaction was immense when the band returned for an encore, which opened with a solid delivery of "Sun Lips".

In addition to well known material, the set featured new songs as well, which varied in feel (as would be expected from the band) from folky material, to material reminiscent of Lightning Bolt.  Overall, the set left us (and judging by reaction, the rest of the crowd) very glad to have Black Moth Super Rainbow back on the scene.  From the sound of things, they're ready to deliver some of their best material yet.

Photos By Wyatt Burns, more at the HAD Archive.