The first full day of the festival without rain saw a number of exciting acts. From pop icon Remi Wolf to local rock band Vivid Bloom, read about what the final day of Boston Calling 2025 had in store.
Silent But Deadly: Mo Lowda and The Humble
For Philadelphia-based indie rock band Mo Lowda and the Humble, a thirty minute set on the Green Stage meant they were “all business.” The four-piece band kept their stories short, instead opting to use their time playing as much of their music as they could for the early crowd. The light, bouncy tone of the indie rock instrumentals blended well with lead singer Jordan Caiola’s rugged, baritone vocals in songs like “The Painter” and “7.31.” One story they did tell, however, was about “Beachtown,” which is inspired by Caiola’s annual trips to Cape Cod with his family in August. With the band’s new record Tailing the Ghost set for a June 20 release, they’re sure to be your fix of indie rock music this summer.
Alt-Americana Has Come To Town: Nate Perry & Ragged Company
The crowd was filled with hoots and hollers when Nate Perry & Ragged Company, a Boston-based Americana-inspired rock band, took to the Orange Stage on Sunday afternoon. Led by frontman Nate Perry, the five-person band played a number of tracks from their 2024 EP The Otherside of Everything, as well as their recently released single, “Count on You.” The audience couldn’t seem to get enough of the twangy electric guitar as they started clapping and twirling along to the beat. It was truly a demonstration of alt-Americana at its finest and shows excellent promise for their new EP coming out in the next couple of months.
Most Likely To Lead A Choir: I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME
They say that “Nobody Likes The Opening Band,” but for festival goers who hadn’t previously heard of I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME – or IDKHOW – it’s likely that they walked away from their Blue Stage set as new fans. The indie pop band came from the creative mind of frontman Dallon Weekes, a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist of Panic! at the Disco fame. Weekes may as well have been a conductor leading a chorus throughout the set, raising and lowering his hands to adjust cheering volumes and pointing at sections to cue singing from the audience. Performing songs from their 2020 album Razzmatazz like “Leave Me Alone” and titular track “Razzmatazz,” as well as 2018 single “Choke,” Weekes entertained the crowd with theatrical movements, powerful vocals, and synth-heavy backing tracks. He even had a few jokes up his sleeves: after singing to the crowd through a bullhorn for a performance of “Visitation Of The Ghost” from his previous band the Brobecks, he sang brief snippets of Sabrina Carpenter’s “Please Please Please” and Chappell Roan’s “HOT TO GO!” And honestly? He gave both pop icons a run for their money.
Like Slowdive, but Bostonian: Vivid Bloom
By the late afternoon on Sunday, ambient rock was emanating from the Orange Stage. Vivid Bloom, a Boston-based shoegaze band, performed on stage. Playing songs like “Believe” and the title track from their 2023 EP Out of Focus, the four-piece band captivated audiences with their long guitar solos and instrumental breaks, turning their 30-minute set into an all-out jam session. Their vocals were few and far between these instrumental breaks, but light and ethereal nonetheless. With only four songs out on Spotify right now, one can hope that more Vivid Bloom shoegaze tracks are on the horizon.
A Tiny But Mighty Set: Remi Wolf
If IDKHOW was the festival’s choir director, then Remi Wolf was the vocal coach, leading the audience through vocal warmups during her set on the Green Stage. Wolf’s energy was upbeat and infectious, despite the fact that her set started ten minutes late and she was “experiencing some deeply brutal sound problems.” But in the spirit of pushing through the set for the crowd, Wolf chatted with the crowd in order to entertain while waiting for the sound to be fixed. When the show was able to proceed, Wolf made the most of her time, dancing in a frisky manner around the stage. Due to the late start, Wolf only had the ability to play select hits, from “Liz” to “Toro” and “Disco Man.” She also chose to cover “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac, dedicating it to the people who wanted to feel good for once this weekend. She concluded her short set with “Photo ID,” a song popularized by its remix with Dominic Fike. Even with the technical difficulties, Wolf’s confident stage presence and commanding vocals dazzled the audience, no matter for how short of a time.
Most Likely To Disregard An Oxford Comma: Vampire Weekend
After a weekend of intermittent rain, clear skies and a golden hour light came out for Vampire Weekend, the penultimate act performing on the Green Stage for the festival weekend. The New York-born rock band were perfect to fill that time slot, providing warm, familiar indie tunes for the audience. With popular 2010s hits like “Unbelievers,” “Diane Young,” “A-Punk,” “Campus,” and “Oxford” – all from 2008’s Vampire Weekend and 2013’s Modern Vampires of the City – the crowd boogied and sang along. Between songs, lead singer Ezra Koenig would occasionally talk about the significance of songs and their relationship to Boston. “Capricorn,” for example, was dedicated to the Harvard football team in 2003, which had his former high school classmate Will Rodger as an offensive tackle. Similarly, while he said that the band has “more than one song that references Boston, Cambridge, or Cape Cod,” they opted to play “Walcott” as an homage to the festival. Vampire Weekend not only put on a great show in general, but a perfect sunset show for the final night of the festival.
