destroy boys

paradise rock club | allston, ma

11.14.2024 | 8 pm

lineup: @destroyboysband @chokecherry4ever @sasamiashworth

the line into paradise rock club stretched around the corner of the block on commonwealth ave, effectively cutting off any thru traffic in & out of raisin’ canes. the line was all dressed in their finest black, ripped clothing which was accessorized with piercings, juggalo makeup, fishnets, & leather. small clouds of blue raspberry vape & weed hung in the cold air. i felt a bit like a sore thumb wearing a bit of color. tonight was the night i was determined to mosh a little.

the energy in the venue felt like an electric undercurrent & the crowd was buzzing. chokecherry delivers music that is reminiscent of shoegaze…alt rock…grunge. interestingly enough, the band was brought together through a dating app. izzie clark, chokecherry’s bassist/vocalist matched with front woman scarlett levinson online & while they didn’t work out romantically, they certainly have musical chemistry. listening to their recorded tracks versus hearing them live was a very different experience though. i didn’t really get into their music at the show but do like their recordings. however, i don’t think the blame falls on them. i am under the impression that the audio

engineering wasn’t set up for them. i mean, their mics cut out for a fat minute halfway through their set. for their last song, scarlett invited the crowd to mosh which was met with… not much enthusiasm. everyone’s eyes seemed to flit to the signs posted next to the stage that strictly prohibited moshing. this was a little silly to me, given we were at paradise rock club. rock music is for moshing, headbanging, & other rebellious activities. the crowd politely restrained their moshing energy in favor of a little head bopping. chokecherry were definitely troopers & i would love to give them another chance live should they visit again.

time seemed to stretch waiting for the next artist to make it on stage. so i hunkered down & tried not to become too cross when the girl in front of me kept whipping me in the face with her ponytail. i was amused when sasami stepped out on stage in a ankle length puffer to set up some of her gear. given the temperature has dropped permanently for the foreseeable future, this was very boston coded. or should i say… coated. yes, i fear my only method of comedy are really shitty puns which few find funny. but i am who i am. sasami —

which keeps autocorrecting to salami — officially stepped out on stage waving around a french horn with white tassels which felt like a peak band kid moment. turns out she’s a conservatory-trained classical french horn player. the audience’s energy levels had been fairly depleted by the long wait but immediately picked up when sasami yelled out at the crowd, “any freaks in the crowd? any rockers? any people that are anti-establishment?” the crowd roared back in approval & agreement. her music was pop & something i would listen to, but it wasn't resonating super well with the crowd. it was a little too silent.. she also tried to start a mosh which was met with a low level of success. my best guess is that people weren’t willing to risk getting kicked out for moshing before the main act. sasami made up for the lack in energy herself though. boy, is she a personality! i kid you not she quacked at the audience before launching into a song. i’d describe her music as pop-mitski, along the lines of rina sawayama. recently i watched, agatha all along, & i was getting strong lorna wu vibes. i love to see an asian artist making it in the music industry.

before destroy boys came on stage an organization they had invited, food not bombs, stepped to the mic to address as well as urge the crowd to create community & support one another, especially in light of the recent election. the destroy boys fans are certainly one of the most cohesive & unified fan communities, sharing similar ideologies that mirror my own. it made the crowd feel very safe & comfortable.

destroy boys took the stage by storm with shadow (i’m breaking down) followed by their second top hit, crybaby. the electric undercurrent of energy that had been running through the audience exploded into a frenzy of motion. the punk scene in boston crawled out of the woodworks to celebrate the night with destroy boys.

destroy boys were 19 & opening for another act the last time they were at paradise rock club & this past thursday at 25 they headlined their own show at the venue. what a full circle moment for the band. the crowd went wild when alexia borrowed a trans flag from someone in the audience which they draped around their shoulders for a chat about our freedom to be who we are & to not give a fuck. for majority of songs in the set, little mosh pits formed throughout the crowd. this is not a crowd that was going to be tamed by a prohibited sign, they were just waiting for the right moment. it was a “baby’s first mosh pit” moment for me & for legal reasons i will not clarify in what way i was experiencing the mosh pit. i found myself riding high on the waves of energy coming from the crowd, much like the waves of bo that were also hitting my nostrils unfortunately. alexia roditis truly had the audience in the palm of their hand. when they sang, amor divino, the audience quieted & i watched people get emotional with some even crying. the band stepped off the stage following their performance of, you hear yes & the audience began the chant, “one more song.” being the polite audience they were though, you would hear the chant, “one more song,” immediately followed by a, “please!” lead singer, alexia, came back on stage shortly afterwards to perform, piedmont, one of their slower songs off their 2018 album, make room.

i don’t believe i’ve shared this bit of info but i am a recovering weezer addict. i promise it began as an ironic joke that spiraled out of control but i share this because the whole band then came out to perform a shortened cover of weezer’s undone - the sweater song. destroy boys spent approximately the next twenty minutes jamming out instead of ending the show like most artists do. alexia sarcastically called themselves a “professional band” but that they were in fact “trying to stall the show for a bit longer.” following a green day & blink-182 cover, the band promised to let their captive but captivated audience go before launching into, i threw glass at my friend’s eye and now i’m on probation — their most popular song. they ended the night by speaking out against older people making a pass at someone much younger which touched on a controversy they were involved in in the past. i had arrived at 7:30 pm & did not leave paradise rock club until 11:20 pm. i left more than sufficiently rocked out. thanks to food not bombs, i left with a free banana for the road. instagram.com/bostonfoodnotbombs

a big thank you to brittany buckley over at red light management for giving me the opportunity to cover the show!