Tiger Bomb. Photo by John Keegan
Calling all mods!
Four super cool bands are playing at Geno’s Rock Club on Friday, and I’ve come to love all of them by hitting Spotify hard over the past several days.
The lineup for Mod Night is Portland’s Tiger Bomb, Boston’s Chelsea Curve and Muck and the Mires, and Sharp Class from Nottingham, England.
“Mod” is tough to describe in one sentence, but it’s essentially a term that dates back to the “Swinging Sixties” British subculture that was youth-centric and largely about hip music, fashion and freedom. For a quick, tongue-in-cheek tutorial, watch the first “Austin Powers” film.
Now onto the show!
Look, I know what you’re thinking: Four bands? But I’m challenging you to nap accordingly and rally. Plus, it’ll all be over by midnight, so if you hurry, your car will not have time to turn into a pumpkin.
It is with sheer glee that I unpack these four acts.
I’ve been a huge Tiger Bomb fan for a few years. The band, which formed in 2014, is Chris Horne on lead guitar and vocals, Lynda Mandolyn on rhythm guitar and vocals, Amanda Ayotte on bass and Jessica Smith on drums.
Tiger Bomb’s garage-pop music is fun and fierce and I hope to hear songs like “Astro Girl,” “Rave On Again” and “Baby Come On.”
The band played at a music festival in Mallorca, Spain, last month. Their gig was at the Rosa Del Mar Hotel that Mandolyn said had marble floors, swimming pools and go-go dancers. “The place was packed and we got an encore,” she said about the show.
Mandolyn also shared that the band has 15 new songs and hopes to record its third album later this year.
Members of Tiger Bomb are friends with The Chelsea Curve, and when the latter reached out suggesting they join forces, things came together quickly; the same lineup is playing a sold-out show in Boston the night after the Portland one. Mandolyn also gave a nod to Sharp Class. “They’re an amazing young mod band.”
The Chelsea Curve. Photo by Josh Pickering
Boston trio The Chelsea Curve, which formed in 2019, is Linda Pardee on bass, vocals and keys; Tim Gillis on guitars and vocals; and Ron Belanger on drums and shouts. The first song I listened to is “Jamie C’Mon,” and all I could do was nod and think to myself “these are my people,” such was my immediate love for the jangly pop tune and its mod-infused video. The track is from last year’s “All the Things,” and with each track, I was all the more hooked.
The band bio that Pardee sent me explained that the mission of The Chelsea Curve is to create infectious, punchy, sing-along rock ‘n’ roll. I’d say they’re crushing that goal. Pardee said the band is already working on new tunes and planned to release the single “How Can I (Resist You)?” this week with more to follow in the summer and fall.
Muck and the Mires. Photo by Zig Criscuolo
The other Boston act is Muck and the Mires, which have been slaying since 2001. The band is Muck (Voodoo Dolls, The Queers) on vocals and guitars, Jessie Best on drums, Pedro Mire on lead guitar and John Quincy Mire on bass. A few years back, they were named the No. 1 U.S. garage rock band by Little Steven Van Zandt on the show “Underground Garage National Battle of the Bands,” which aired on MTV. Muck and the Mires have toured internationally and are headed overseas for shows in Spain and the United Kingdom next month. A standout track is the garage rock banger “I’m Your Man.”
Sharp Class. Photo by Rob Williamson
Rounding out the fabulous bill is Sharp Class. The band formed in 2017 while the three friends were still secondary (high school) students in Nottingham. The Portland show marks the band’s first appearance in the U.S.
The power pop and punk trio is Oliver Orton on guitar and lead vocals, Billy Woodfield on bass and Declan Mills on drums. You’ll know they’re Brits the second you hear them, kind of like Billy Bragg. The accent shines through on Orton’s vocals and the fresh, zippy songs. The title track of their debut album, “Tales Of a Teenage Mind,” as well as “Living For Kicks,” are getting me really excited to hear them live and then fangirl after the set, especially since I’m headed to England next month for a music festival.
In between bands you’ll hear DJ Sherman spinning pop, northern soul, R&B, mod and post-punk tunes.
Mod Nite
8 p.m. Friday. Geno’s Rock Club, 625 Congress St., Portland, $12, 21-plus. facebook.com
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