Show Review: The Drowns with Stolen Wheelchairs, The Welch Boys, and Michael Kane & The Morning Afters-- Cambridge MA, 01/14/2022

Written by:  Trev Allen

Editor: Chris Chavez

Poster Art: Hannah Blu

Photos: Nicole Tammaro

On Friday, January 14, I braved the frigid cold and headed to Cambridge, Massachusetts to attend a show that I can only describe as the kind of mixtape I would have made for someone. Four bands that I absolutely love played together in a smorgasbord of rock 'n' roll music. Headliners The Drowns were on tour supported by Stolen Wheelchairs, and two other bands for this show – The Welch Boys and Michael Kane & The Morning Afters. As freezing as the temperatures were outside, I don't think anyone was prepared for the fire that would befall the crowd inside.

The show opened with the Americana fueled rock 'n' roll band Michael Kane & The Morning Afters, hailing from Worcester, Massachusetts. As the Morning Afters took the stage, they opened their set with “Old Men Die In New Suits,” a single off of their 2017 EP Laughing At The Shape I'm In. From the opening guitar riff, the crowd was taken by surprise. Instead of rushing to the front of the stage to slam into one another like carnival bumper cars, the crowd began to tap their feet and slap the side of their thighs. By the time Kane's gravelly voice pushed through the sound system of the venue, dozens of punk rock kids were dancing with no sign of force in sight. The synchronicity of this band is hypnotic. Even the most impassive of folk like myself can't resist the allure of the Morning Afters's music. By the third song of the set, which is one of my personal favorites titled“Like John Wayne,” Michael Kane & The Morning Afters had the crowd eating out of their hands, stomping their feet, dancing like fiends, and ready for them to play the next song. The set was mostly songs off of their upcoming album Broke But Not Broken, due out sometime in April 2022. Needless to say, Michael Kane and company won over the crowd with their signature brand of rock 'n' roll.

The Welch Boys, one of Boston's more beloved bands were up next to give the crowd some of that good ol' fashioned Beantown street rock 'n' roll that we all hold close to our hearts. The place quickly transformed from bouncing up and down to flailing across the room into one another, fists pumping in the air. Ed Lalli's demanding vocals belted out the anthem style lyrics and were backed by aggressive melodies evoking the tough, blue-collar, hard working, cold ass New England vibe. The Welch Boys have a stage presence the size of a grizzly bear and are as equally ferocious.
These guys never seem to miss, especially when at home.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's Stolen Wheelchairs took to the stage next. This band, much like their album The America, came out swinging for the fences and knocked it out of the park. Their music punches you in the face from start to finish. Anyone who didn't know the name before definitely knows it now. These young lads are leaving their mark in every city they play no matter how big or small the venue. Oscar Capps IV, also known as “Osc4r,” is the front man and driving force behind Stolen Wheelchairs. What started as a DIY EP, with himself playing every instrument and mixing himself, has now turned into the phenom on stage that folks in Cambridge had a chance to witness. The chemistry between this band is so on point, it feeds into the crowd. Now, this band is from Philadelphia, but they have ties to the area. First, until recently, the band was part of the Salem, Massachusetts label State Line Records, and guitarist Oscar Capps III (Osc4r's father) was once in the Boston band Far From Finished. With all that going for them, these guys are so in tune with one another, and pour so much energy into their powerful lyrics and insanely fast music, that even an older person like me forgets their age and feels young again. Stolen Wheelchairs are a band that are taking over and keeping street punk alive and well.

Last and certainly not least, The Drowns headed to the stage to do what they do best – play some rock 'n' roll. It's not often you get to witness the genuine experience of watching people do what they love, but that is exactly what I got see watching The Drowns perform. This wasn't just another show to them. They were energized by the crowd and the moment, feeding off of the opportunity to do what they love, enjoying it as much, if not more than those who had the the opportunity to watch them. I'm willing to bet any amount of money that every show from The Drowns brings this element to it. You can't fake that. That's authenticity. I can go on and on about how the music from The Drowns is great – how they blend elements from their favorite genres and decades into their music, but by now everyone knows that. Their albums View From The Bottom and Under Tension speak for themselves in that regard. This band is a touring band. Their performance and love for performing music for people is the reason for this review. When The Drowns perform, every word Rev Peters sings feels as if he's speaking directly to you. When Andy Wylie sings “Wolves On The Throne,” it's as if he is in your head speaking through you. If you love music, you understand this. If you've ever had a chance to experience this, then you are a lucky person. The Drowns are lovers of music and they make music for lovers of music.

Needless to say, this was one of the best shows I have ever attended. It was truly a delight to see four bands perform at such a high level, each bringing their own brand of energy to the stage. In conclusion, I'll paraphrase something Andy Wylie of The Drowns told the crowd that evening in Cambridge, Massachusetts... “You all just got to see four headliners on one bill.”

This is one show that will be hard to top for a while, but I guarantee I will have fun trying to find one to rival it.