Beach Fossils @ The Sinclair

Beach Fossils
featuring Raener and Snail Mail

October 12, 2017 @ The Sinclair

By: Maya Dengel & Casey Martin

‘Twas a nippy Thursday evening as I embarked on my first Boston concert endeavor to The Sinclair to see Beach Fossils’ sold out show. Blue lights bathed the stage as garage-band-meets-early-Spooky-Black-band Raender opened the show. Hauling in a 5-day car ride from Los Angeles, California, the band brought a synth meets rock sound to the venue. The bass player was truly memorizing to watch; I’ve never seen anyone move like a chicken while looking aesthetically pleasing at the same time. With Raender’s first EP release on October 6, they were filled with passion and intent on persuading the audience with their sound.

Snail Mail then took the stage changing the mood to a soft Avril Lavigne indie vibe. Even after a tragic incident involving a misplaced capo and a lose amp chord, the band still managed to maintain their cool and continue their set. That being said, it was evident that the lead singer was extremely displeased with her performance, as she departed briskly from the stage at the end of the set without so much as a goodbye. A reverse in the lineup of openers would have supplied for a more pleasing experience, as the first group was far more enthusiastic and engaging to watch. Regardless, the crowd was eagerly buzzing after both openers in anticipation for the Beach Fossil.

From the moment they first stepped onstage, it was clear that the band was extremely excited to be in Boston, as they immediately began joking around with each other and were able to engage the audience throughout the duration of their show.

“We haven’t been here in a minute” the lead singer exclaimed as the band entered the stage, referencing the band’s former break from touring.

With a 3-year gap between the band’s album releases and the replacement of all members except for the lead singer, Dustin Payseur, the group’s sound has changed slightly. Despite this, the group was able to mix in both new and old songs, making for an exciting variety for listeners. As the show began, the crowd quickly became a sea of bopping bodies and, to my surprise, a mosh pit arose.

HOLD UP, DID I JUST SAY A MOSH PIT AT BEACH FOSSILS? I’m just as surprised as you are – and apparently so were a few other fans, as a few quarrels even broke out due to the intenseness of this mosh. I am a firm believer that a crowd makes or breaks a concert experience, and this crowd was attempting to demolish it.

At one point the guitar player began playing ‘Wonderwall’ by Oasis as a time filler between songs, in which the lead singer and the audience jumped in for a short sing along.

“This is a new one we’ve been working on,” joked lead singer, Dustin.

The encore was a tender moment in, what I felt was our newly formed friendship with the band, which began with a bra being thrusted onto the stage, inevitably resulting in Dustin deciding to adorn himself with said bra.

“I promise I’ll give it back!” he assured fans.

The encore was relatively short with two songs and a snippet of Coldplay’s ‘Clocks’ being played to fill time, as the lead singer truly did not want to leave us. We were brought into Beach Fossils CornerTM as the band departed from us. The lead singer passionately clutched his Grey Goose bottle, telling us to go out into the world and spread love, even throwing in a diss about President Trump á la EMINEM. The crowd reluctantly parted from our dearly beloved Beach Fossils, and, as promised, the bra was returned to its rightful owner, restoring the balance in the universe.

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