As the leaves continue to litter the city sidewalks, the local Boston music scene continues to offer up exciting concerts and performances week after week. If you’re not totally burnt out from Halloween weekend, why not take in a show at one of the countless venues spread across the city? As always, the team at Sound of Boston has rounded up their picks for can’t-miss concerts in the coming weeks. From ear-splitting extreme metal to a quiet night at the BSO, there’s a little something for every music fan!
Also, don’t forget this Thursday November 3rd at O’Brien’s, Sound of Boston is hosting our second Listen Local event! The concert will feature all local acts including: indie rockers Oh Malô, folk group The Western Den, and alt-rock quartet Vitamin Sun. The show starts at 8PM and tickets will be $8 advance, $10 at the door; get your tickets here. We look forward to seeing you at O’Brien’s this Thursday!
Swedish extreme metal band Meshuggah is probably the furthest you can get from easy listening. Most will instantly block their ears at the deafening wall of dissonance the band produces onstage. But behind the cacophony are some of the most bizarre, hyper complex grooves you’ll hear in metal today. From mesmerizing set design to one of the most intense light shows in live music, Meshuggah is a band you have to see at least once if you are at all into “heavy” music. You’ll either leave awestruck or absolutely mortified. Maybe even a little of both.
Last time we saw this local rock trio, they were opening for Austin’s explosive Black Pistol Fire at The Sinclair—a fitting match-up, considering Long Time is a guitar-shredding powerhouse that can hold their own. This time around they’ll be headlining Great Scott, alongside fellow local acts The Shills and Cherry Mellow.
Aurora blends Nordic pop melodies with danceable instrumentation and an omnipresent wonder. She lightheartedly speaks of love, murder, and running with wolves: “I think humans need to let go a bit more, shake their bodies more often, like the animals do… It’s a beautiful thing really.”
The Canadian brother-sister duo of Luke and Tess Pretty blend jazz, electronic, and pop influences to make some incredibly colorful instrumentals. They recently opened for M83, and their music has caught the attention of Skrillex and his label OWSLA- they’ve collaborated with him on a stunning remix of Skrillex’s track “Stranger.” Check out their fantastic Like WhatEP, and come say hi at the show—I’m covering this one!
Seu Jorge’s performance is one of the standout moments of “The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou.” Jorge took seminal songs and found nuances in them that even the Thin White Duke himself never heard. “Had Seu Jorge not recorded my songs in Portuguese,” Bowie said, “I would never have heard this new level of beauty which he has imbued them with.” As a tribute to Bowie, Jorge will be playing his versions of Bowie’s music in what promises to be an emotional evening, and there might even be a starman waiting in the sky to hear it all.
