friday pilots club but it was a monday? | friday pilots club

the sinclair | cambridge, ma

4.21.2025 | 8 pm

lineup: @fridaypilotsclub @circawaves @maddyjdavis

marathon monday, easter monday, and getting to cambridge for a concert do NOT mix well. but the music is always worth it. my friend and i were all set to experience friday pilots club live again as well as be introduced to circa wave and maddy davis. it was off to a rough start with my friend’s train getting stuck between copley and arlington station for a solid forty minutes and my train being delayed and then crowded beyond belief. we had both given ourselves an extra hour on top of the usual time it takes to get to the sinclair and managed to get there just barely on time. truly incredible how horrible an experience it was.

maddy davis, a new jersey native, was first to the stage. it was a modest set up with her laptop, guitar, and guitarist erez potok-holmes, aka sally boy. by this is davis’ first tour ever, accompanying friday pilots club and circa wave to dc, philly, nyc, & boston. having released her first single can’t do this alone in 2020, she has continued releasing singles and EPs. within this past year, she dropped her first album RAGE. davis sports a billie eilish-esque style that really did have my friend and i believing she was queer in some way. that is until she started singing songs titled about a boy, sally! i met a boy, and sk8er boi. we realize now she just heavily adheres to the skater aesthetic. top song of the night for me was would u object? and i will not be elaborating on the fact that i relate. davis has a beautiful melodic voice that has a bit of a rasp which just adds to the appeal. her music is very fitting for a summer indie moment. she wrapped up her set with goodbye for now which felt appropriate and really spot on.

up next was circa waves, one of the two main acts for the night. this was my first introduction to the band but to some fans i talked to, they came specifically to the show for this band. from the UK, circa waves are known for their melodic indie rock style that has a similar vibe to artists like the strokes and arctic monkeys. they began the set

with do you wanna talk from their 2023 album never going under followed by a selection of their top hits and latest 2025 album death &

death & love, pt. 1. the setlist felt very cohesive and has the right sort of vibe for warmer nights. during fire that burns, lead singer kieran shudall pulled friday pilots club frontman caleb hiltunen on stage to sing with him. the two of them sharing the mic felt like we were intruding on an intimate moment. it was giving, “are we about to kiss?” circa waves tied off their set with t-shirt weather, a strong finish, and the song i will likely listen to again. no shade at all! i just usually only end up listening to one or two songs from a singular artist.

i had seen friday pilots club at shaky knees in atlanta, ga last may and so was already excitedly anticipating this show. i am genuinely surprised this band has not blown up or gone viral yet because they seem to have everything going for them ie. good music, camaraderie, and decently attractive guys. the way they’ve released their discography is also very odd to me, with most being released as singles and their first full album being released just this past year. the set began with an automated message of a flight attendant

prepping the audience for take off before stepping on the stage with hot mess released in 2022. despite having already heard majority of these songs last may, the band has a way of making each of their songs sound new again live. pushing daisies  was the third song on the set but quite possibly the first in my heart. other notable songs of the night were end of it, vampire disco, and bury me. and as if to answer circa waves’ performance of do you wanna talk earlier in the night, friday pilots club answered with we don’t wanna talk. what a perfect coincidence! so sad these two bands have not yet resolved their communication issues. the last three songs of the set were met with high raucous energy from the crowd, obviously being, for the wicked, better with, and finally gold and bones. for whatever reason i am not the biggest fan of gold and bones. i personally believe they should’ve ended on better with but alas that’s not my call to make. i am under the impression that this band will blow up at some point soon, so i’d go see them live before that happens! you’re welcome in advance.

xoxo,

ruse