Double Trouble
BattlemodeBoston’s Battlemode served up double trouble headlining at the house of the double cheeseburger Charlie’s Kitchen on Monday, 9 January 2023.
Ruby Grove, the Towers Brothers, and a side of fries opened in support.
All the headlines in the Bay State were on high alert for updates about the Cohassett killer. A local woman had mysteriously disappeared on New Year’s Day. Her wayward husband was all smiles and had purchased roughly $450 of cleaning supplies with his credit card the day before her disappearance. Investigators were closing in.
It seemed like the other shoe was about to drop at any moment…
But the only murder patrons at Charlie’s Kitchen cared about Monday night was the two beef patties served hot on a bun with lettuce, onion, and tomato. The prized Cambridge diner calls itself the Double Cheeseburger King. Royal lineage aside, it’s a quality, old school diner offering that’s satisfied the Harvard Square community for generations.
Beyond the burgers, Charlie’s Kitchen has expanded into music offerings upstairs. Like its déclassé spiritual sibling Silhouette Lounge on the other side of the river, Charlie’s is trying to colonize Mondays for the live music crowd with the motto: “Mondays Don't Have To Suck.”
Ruby Grove
Ruby GroveMissing a band member doesn’t have to suck. Ruby Grove found themselves down a drummer for their opening set. If this was the Foo Fighters in Croatia or a rangy hardcore band playing punk standards at a VFW hall, they might have pulled some drumming talent from the crowd.
Ruby Grove opted to experiment with a drum machine instead. The sound technician operated the ‘Start’ and ‘Stop’ button while the band played as a two-piece, featuring keys and bass.
Funky, jazzy, and – maybe it was the drum machine – more than a little trip-hoppy. The set included originals and covers, including Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy”. Shades of a more coffeehaus Portishead.
Tower Brothers
Tower BrothersThere’s no end to “brothers” bands. The Allman Brothers, the Bacon Brothers, the Jonas Brothers, and now the Tower Brothers.
Is every member of the four-piece band a ‘Tower’? And is ‘Tower’ their real name or a stage name? Some cursory research suggests that only two are related. No word on whether the ‘Tower’ name is real or assumed.
Regardless of the nomenclature, all four band members arrived upstairs at Charlie’s Kitchen dressed like the sensitive younger brother of a Russian pimp. The set opened with an intricate classical Spanish guitar-style introduction before ranging into heavier sounds and metal-adjacent riffing. Like Ruby Grove before them, Tower Brothers were missing one regular member. A fill-in musician played bass and their attack didn’t miss a beat. Shades of a more blunt-edged Weezer. After the last song the drummer announced to all and sundry: “We played a great set and everyone is happy.”
Battlemode
BattlemodeCloser Battlemode brought its own fanclub, which pressed to the front of the “performance zone” (no stage at Charlie’s) at the start of the set. The two-piece are chiptune regulars in the Boston and Boston-area music scene. Their upbeat, techno hyperpop combines analog and digital sounds into whirling, multi-color bubblebath.
On Monday night they trotted out a new song with a new instrument – for lack of a better description, an electronic flute. The experimental material hit a few bumps in the road, but Battlemode’s frenetic energy and good vibes are the rising tide that lifts all boats. The sound guy was visibly enjoying the set, which is always a major win, since sound guys are among the most disillusioned, fussy breed of bastards in the world.
The search continues for the Cohasset killer. But the location of solid diner burgers and cheap Monday night music in Cambridge is no mystery. Check it out and tell ‘em Brian Walshe sent you. Or don’t.
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