Ribbon Skirt’s slow builds and shame’s unrelenting drive collide inside Brighton Music Hall
Brighton Music Hall has a way of shrinking the world down to just a stage, a crowd, and whatever noise is about to change your mood. Low ceiling, stage right there, nowhere to hide, the kind of room where a band either wins you over or gets swallowed. This one belonged to the bands.
Ribbon Skirt (Opener)
I almost missed Ribbon Skirt. Could’ve easily been one more beer down the street, wander in late, pretend I didn’t care. Glad I didn’t.
Going in mostly blind is underrated. You don’t have expectations to fight against. From the jump, they felt like a band comfortable living in tension, slow, hazy, almost shoegaze stretches that suddenly twisted into noisy bursts of chaos. It never felt random though. More like they were pulling the room in and then shaking it just to make sure everyone was still paying attention.
Tash’s vocals were the anchor. There were moments where the delivery gave me flashes of PJ Harvey , not imitation, just that same controlled intensity, like something might break loose at any second. If I had to pick one moment, “Earth Eater” was the one that stuck with me. It had that slow burn to mayhem arc they seem to love, and the payoff hit hard.
Caught up with Billy, the guitarist and co-founder, after the set. Total gentleman. Humble, grateful, zero ego. When I asked how he’d describe the band’s sound, he landed on post-punk and indie rock, but you can tell he wasn’t trying to sit them neatly in any box. Based on that set, they’re still exploring, still stretching and that’s usually when bands are at their most interesting. I’ll be there next time they roll through.
shame (Headliner)
Then shame came out and turned the energy dial to a place the crowd didn’t quite seem ready to meet.
This band is pure motion. Even with a crowd that felt half in a trance most of the night, their performance never dipped. Frontman Charlie Steen has that rare ability to control the temperature of a room, pacing, presence, the way he carries himself. They make it look effortless, like it’s just another day on the job, but they never make you feel like it’s just another tour stop.
Bassist Josh Finerty was a force of nature on his own, throwing out these erratic, explosive musical outbursts that felt like sparks shooting off the stage. The whole band was locked in, tight but still wild.
For me, “Concrete” was the standout tune. It came in hot and basically set the baseline for the rest of the night. Even when they pulled into slower material, the intensity never really dropped below what that song established. That’s a tough thing to sustain, and they did it.
The Room
Brighton Music Hall stays one of my favorite spots. Small enough that every show feels personal. You’re never far from the stage, never stuck fighting your way to the bar. Yeah, the location’s a pain and parking is a gamble at best, but once you’re inside, it works. The sound holds up, the layout flows, and they keep pulling in bigger names without losing that intimate feel.
Nights like this are why you still go out on a random weeknight. You might walk in knowing one band and walk out with two.
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