Show Review: Explosions in the Sky with Pet Fox at The Roadrunner in Boston.
written and photographed by Hunter Astrid.
more photos + the rest of the gallery can be found here.
Explosions in the Sky -
Originally named Breaker Morant, Explosions in the Sky is a post-rock instrumental band that formed in Austin, Texas. The band consists of Chris Hrasky (drums), Michael James, Mark Smith and Munaf Rayani (all three switch between guitar and keyboard). On the current tour with them is multi-instrumentalist Jay Demko who largely assists with many of the bass and keyboard parts. Their name simply comes from Chris Hrasky making a comment in regards to the noise or sight of fireworks on the night of their first set as a band. The band was signed by record label Temporary Residence Limited early on in their career. Explosions in the Sky had such a strong demo that they were signed to the label after only half of the demo had been listened to.
Since 2000, the band has released eight studio albums, notably The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place in 2003. The group has also had five full soundtrack; Friday Night Lights (2004), Prince Avalanche (2013), Lone Survivor (2013), Manglehorn (2014), and Big Bend (An Original Soundtrack for Public Televeision) in 2021. Other than the above mentioned soundtracks, many of their songs have been featured in multiple forms of media over the past two decades.
Explosions in the Sky's music lacks a lyrical element but definitely does not lack any emotional element or talent, which was very apparent during their set. I have never gone to a concert that is purely instrumental, with the exception of classical music, and there is without a doubt a difference in the energy of the crowd in relation to a "normal" rock band. There was a sense of calm and connection throughout the entire crowd that can be hard to find at other shows. To add to that, it's very clear that the band is very comfortable together and can play off each other and mesh well with ease. They can all stand on stage for on hour and a half, getting lost in the music with each other but the quality of the music doesn't waver or dip once.
MY FAVORITE SONG: “Greet Death” off of Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Live Forever (2001)
Pet Fox -
On Explosions in the Sky's current tour, The End Tour, the group has been picking a different opener every show date. They've been choosing smaller local bids and sharing their talents with their fans. In Boston, local band Pet Fox opened for them.
Pet Fox is a Boston-based band that officially formed in 2018. The band consists of trio Theo Hartlett (vocals and guitar), Morgan Luzzi (bass) and Jesse Weiss (drummer and engineer). Initially, Theo Hartlett and Morgan Luzzi were really big fans of Jesse Weiss’ former band Grass is Green. The three met at a house show in Allston and Hartlett and Luzzi initially asked Weiss to help them record an EP for their own band, Flat Swamp. After a while, the two formed a group titled Spook the Herd with their friend Abe Kimball. Eventually Kimball left the group and the trio officially became Pet Fox.
Pet Fox has released three studio albums since their conception in 2018 titled Pet Fox (2015), Rare Occasion (2019), and A Face In Your Life (2022). In 2023 they released a live EP titled Pet Fox on Audiotree Live. Their sound reminds me of a combination of shoegaze and alt rock, which makes a beautiful mix of both. I was instantly pulled in by the band, their sound and their sheer talent. Much like Explosions in the Sky, it was very clear that the band members mesh with each other very well and comfortably, which only makes their music even stronger. Their opening set was truly captivating and I can only imagine how many new fans the group walked away with that night, myself included.
MY FAVORITE SONG: “Only Warning” off of A Face In Your Life (2022)
