Arts & Entertainment, Features

REVIEW: Grouplove brings undeniable energy to Boston

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Indie rock band Grouplove both metaphorically and literally destroyed the stage on Thursday night at the House of Blues for their 2016-17 tour promoting their new album, “Big Mess,” which was released in September. In addition to blowing away the crowd with their impossibly high energy and dance moves, lead singer Christian Zucconi celebrated his birthday with the destruction of his acoustic guitar.

Grouplove welcomed two openers and an enthusiastic hype man to start off the night. Alternative Canadian rock band Dilly Dally warmed up the crowd with a unique and often vocally aggressive half-hour long set. Their sound contrasted Grouplove in a way that many found too extreme, although they never failed to keep their energy high.

Female trio MUNA closed the gap between Dilly Dally and Grouplove. Their sound was on the harder side of rock, but held the same energy and creative lyrics as Grouplove. A surprising addition to the night was the excitable hype man who introduced the band.

The House of Blues was filled to the brim with a young and excited crowd, bouncing relentlessly to the beat of the music. The band’s ability to dance, jump and roll around on stage while perfecting every note was a feat in itself. The chemistry between lead singers Christian Zucconi and Hannah Hooper, a long-time couple, was clear through their shared witty comments and side-by-side crowd surfing.

As with many concerts, the most exciting parts of the show came with the start of their best-known song. The drummer included a clever transition into hit “Tongue Tied” that got the crowd spinning. The leads even took a moment to rest mid-song as the crowd took over the vocals.

Although the band stayed focused on the music, they took the time to urge the crowd to vote, saying “Make sure you all get out and vote,” followed by a not-so-subtle, “And I hope you know who for.”

Grouplove continued to show the audience their creativity both in music and presentation throughout the show. Toward the end of the set, the band welcomed two dancers wearing giant cat masks to dance along with them.  

The stage decoration reflected the band’s quirky personality as well. Hung in the back were four enormous pink hands, decorated somewhat like a child’s art project. The back right hand had six fingers, which may have had an unknown significance or simply been a humorous accident.

Grouplove ended the main set with their most recent popular track, “Welcome to Your Life.”

Hopper inspired the crowd with wise words about embracing the life you’re meant to live, ending her speech with the title of the song.

The upbeat rock mood was constant throughout the show, until the first encore when Zucconi came out solo with his guitar and a spotlight. He sang one of the only quiet songs on “Big Mess,” called “Enlighten Me.”

Slowly, the audience began to pull out their lighters, or iPhone flashlights, and swayed them along to the beat. At one point he was able to completely stop singing, for the second time that night, and let the audience take over. Toward the end of the song, as the beat began to pick up, the rest of the band came back on stage to the audience’s cheers.

The show, filled with energy, ended with a bang as the group saved two of their top songs for last. “Ways to Go” and “Colours” have a sound that any alternative music fan can recognize in a second. The conclusion of the night also cued the destruction of a guitar.

The crowd watched in almost slow motion as Zucconi broke his beloved guitar to smithereens. As the pieces broke off in every direction, he began throwing them into the crowd. As everyone was dispersing after the show, a proud fan wore his guitar strap around his neck like a medal.

Before they walked off, Zucconi erupted the crowd into cheers with a final statement, “Maybe it’s just because it’s my birthday, but this was the best set of our tour so far.”

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One Comment

  1. What an excellent piece of writing Alex! Keep up the great work.