Sun Room brings the SoCal heat to Boston

While the weather has been cooling down here in Boston, Sun Room’s surf rock songs warmed up Tuesday night at the Royale. A raucous crowd of the band’s Boston friends crowd surfed and moshed throughout the entire set, giving the music the energy it deserves.

Since the last time I had the pleasure of seeing Sun Room, the band has undergone some reconstruction. Former drummer Gibby Anderson departed the band to pursue his solo music, but Sun Room did not skip a beat. Tommy Rhodes steps in on the drums and the rest of the band holds strong: Luke Asgian on lead vocals and guitar, Max Pinamonti on bass, and Ashton Minnich on guitar.

English rock band Sports Team kicked off the night with a high energy set. With a six-person crew, the band sang about their time across the pond. “M5” talks about the titular motorway that goes throughout London, and “Fishing” is about hanging out with your friends and fishing in the River Thames. In between songs, Rice and his jarring accent gives a thankful speech about the friendship bracelets he’s received from fans throughout the tour thus far. Rounding out the set, they played one of my personal favorites “Here’s the Thing,” which discusses the hypocrisies of life: “(Here’s the thing) Everything in life is fair and that’s the rules / It’s all just lies, lies, lies, lies.” 

As the clock struck 9 P.M., the Sun Room boys began with the groovy “Just Yesterday.” “At Least I Tried,” the leading single off their upcoming EP, came next and outlines a week from hell. They crashed their car, slept through their alarm, lost their keys, and got their van towed, among other misfortunes, but at the very least they tried their best to get through the week. This song has a sentiment we can all relate to and a beat that you can’t help but dance to. 

Off their last EP, “Kaden’s Van,” about their tour photographer, led the set’s first mosh pit and a string of unreleased songs commonly found in a Sun Room set. This includes “Sunset Blvd,” which they’ve been playing since I first saw the band open for Louis Tomlinson in February 2022, and “Kickin Rocks,” a personal favorite from this set. It is in these moments when the roots of the band become crystal clear: They were born from the simple idea of some friends wanting to play music together. The DIY and house show scene is where they honed their craft and found their iconic grunge rock sound. 

“Sunset Garage” and “Outta Their Minds” appeared back to back in the set and initiated a notable burst of energy from the crowd. I’ve heavily anticipated both songs and they most definitely did not disappoint. “Sunset Garage” talks about falling in love with a car mechanic, and while not a widely shared story, that chorus gets stuck in your head after every listen. “Outta Their Minds” featured a crowd surf, and while frightening at times, was a proper response for the titular song off their EP released earlier this year. 

After a brief break for Pinamonti to recite the alphabet backwards, as requested by Asgian, they continued with more unreleased and familiar favorites. The set was rounded out with “Summer’s Here,” a bitter one to hear during October in New England, and “Something That You’re Missing,” which features a nice back-and-forth moment with Minnich and Pinamonti where both shred on their respective instruments. The boys then swiftly left the stage. 

​​Fans shouted, “one more song!” as the stage was left blank. Answering their prayers, the boys came back and played the storming “Cadillac” to close off the evening. Not a single soul in the Royale that Tuesday night could deny bobbing their heads to that beat.

Whenever there is an opportunity to see Sun Room in my area, I immediately jump at the chance, and not once have I ever regretted seeing them live. They bring youthful energy and pure fun to the stage and clearly have some of today’s leading artists on their side.

If Louis Tomlinson believes in someone, I do too.