Dear Nora Gets Epic

Live Review

Nov 4

It was a crowded house at the Lilypad on Thursday, 3 November 2022. The funky venue greeted west coasters Dear Nora as the long-running band toured its new LP human futures (2022). Local Bay Staters going222jail and Bong Wish opened in support.

The Lilypad, a fixture of Inman Square, has become the conventional, unconventional gig palace for indie rock acts who want a small venue with a little flair. The Cambridge venue keeps a more regular schedule of contemporary jazz offerings, plus the occasional classical spot. But the commodious setting, colorful interior murals, and laid back vibe make it a great backdrop for any number of sounds. Add in a mini-bar and two unisex restrooms (pretty good toilet ratio for the size of the place), and you’ve got the makings of a good night.

Salem’s going222jail have been steady giggers of late in Boston and beyond. The four-piece has one EP floating out there in the aether-webz, Ragweed (2022).

The band’s set up consists of two guitars, a bass, and drums, with Jools Skiffington handling vocal duties while playing one of the six-strings.

In short order going222jail played a brisk set of composed numbers that oscillated between slanted, alt-rock balladry (think: deconstructed chord progressions of Sebadoh) and a more bouncy attack (think: the Strokes, with less leather and more Dunkin). You get the sense that these guys play their entire discography every time they take the stage.

Boston’s Bong Wish leaned in hard to the fantasy folk aesthetic, for at least half the set. Clouds of patchouli wafted through the Lilypad as fans with rings on every finger angled for photos.

The four-piece band includes a violinist – essential for capturing that olde Celtic (English?) folk vibe. Lead vocalist and frontwoman Mariam Saleh was singing in tongues for a good chunk of one or two songs. Was it Gaelic? Middle English? Klingon? Only the Beast of Bodmin Moor knows for sure. The second half of the set was more straight ahead indie rock. Saleh flashes shades of Grace Slick in her more conventional rock vox mode.

Headliner Dear Nora have been touring north-to-south along the eastern seaboard during a November mini-tour, stretching from Portland (ME) to Philadelphia. The band, fronted by Katy Davidson, has covered a lot of miles since forming in Portland (OR) in 1999. The current incarnation consists of four players: Davidson, Zach Burba, Gregory Campanile, and Stephen Steinbrink.

The ensemble combines to create pert pop numbers that glory in spare aesthetics without surrendering to soulless austerity. The secret in the sauce was the interplay between the warmth of Davidson’s personable lyrics and the cool breeze of the minimalist keyboard contributions. Shades of Kraftwerk-meets-Fleetwood Mac.

If the show wasn’t a sellout, it was close. The Lilypad doesn’t book a lot of indie shows, when you look at the calendar as a whole. But it picks winners – and the indie rock bands seem to enjoy playing in a jazz joint. Davidson shouted out the venue as “epic,” a little “jazzy” and a little “punk.” All that and more on a Thursday night in Cambridge.