Concert Reviews (255)

• February 5, 2026
• Cat Meade
• 33
• 0

---

Following a spectacular first day, Something in the Way fest ramped back up on Sunday at Roadrunner, hosted by Run for Cover Records and The Bowery Presents. The first day had been filled with friends, fun, and great music, and attendees were excited to be back for another round. This time, the night would be capped off with remarkably influential emo legends, Sunny Day Real Estate.

Roadrunner once again opened up their doors at 1 PM and ran a tight ship, running on time for a significant portion of the day. After a crowd formed at the barricade to the main stage, the first band of the second day commenced at 1:30- Glixen, from Phoenix, started the day off strong with their powerful shoegaze coupled with dreamy vocals. The vocalist and bassist swayed back and forth as the lights twinkled behind, a truly exceptional way to begin. Next up was local emo band, Park National. The Boston-based group had major Midwest emo influences, but still played songs with a decent amount of weight to them, emotionally and sonically.

Concert goers excitedly returned to the main stage for Wicca Phase Springs Eternal, playing an earthy and folky set against warm lights. The set seemed to focus heavily on the sound of their newest record, Mossy Oak Shadow, released last September via Run for Cover. At 3:15, we returned to the small stage for First Day Back from Santa Cruz, CA, who launched into their set with powerful vocals set against a blend of emo, punk, and screamo influences. Big riffs peppered with violin provided by the main vocalist turned this set into something extremely special, but what took it over the top was the dedicated fans diving off the stage and chanting “First Day Back” after it was over.

Following up was post-metal group Pelican from Chicago- intense instrumentals with a hint of sludge. Their newest record, Flickering Resonance (released via Run for Cover), was represented well during their set while also paying homage to past releases. Glitterer took the small stage next, playing the raw punk that they’re well known for. The unmistakable vocals of Ned Russin echoed throughout Roadrunner, almost drowned out by the voices of fans singing along. While it’s almost impossible to mention Glitterer without saying the words “Title Fight”, the band has forged a new identity on its own- one that has a familiar angst, but a new sound that says “that was then, and this is now”.

5 PM brought Florida-founded Pool Kids, the energetic group known for their mathcore-esque emo, playing hits from their second two albums to an extremely supportive group of attendees. A giant pit opened up in the middle of the floor with people moshing to hits like “Conscious Uncoupling” from their self-titled second album. As usual, vocalist Christine Goodwyne jumped down off the stage during “Talk Too Much” to get close to the crowd as they sang together. The next set was by Sheer Mag, an extremely talented group from Philadelphia, playing punk rock reminiscent of the 70’s, but mixed with modern touches that kept the songs feeling fresh and relevant. The huge riffs mixed with the powerful and raw vocals of Tina Halladay brought a new energy to the room- it was like waking up after a dreamy morning.

Horse Jumper of Love returned to the main stage afterwards, a local band known for a distinctive blend of shoegaze with catchy phrases. Slow and thoughtful, it was nice to have such a juxtaposition in the middle of the day to keep you on your toes. No Warning took to the small stage next, a no-frills hardcore band that had several people stage diving, moshing, and yelling. Hailing from Toronto, vocalist Ben Cook’s other project, GUV had played the day before, and it was truly nothing like this. Their fast-paced tempos with crashing cymbals and heavy riffs can only be experienced to be understood.

Afterwards, Citizen was ready to come out and play a healthy dose of nostalgic hits mixed with new tracks from their more recent releases. An energetic band, Citizen seems to really love playing, and believes in their music- as they should. Playing hits like “The Night I Drove Alone”, fans were singing along throughout the venue as vocalist Matt Kerekes held the mic up to hear their voices.

The night ended with emo pioneers, Sunny Day Real Estate. At the beginning of the set, vocalist Jeremy Enigk came out alone with a guitar, singing “Asleep Under Last Week’s News”. The room was quiet as the lyrics sank in, politically charged and unfortunately all too relevant. Sometimes it’s important to feel the weight of the world, but at the same time, it’s important to find joy in moments like these, standing in a room with your friends watching your favorite bands. The rest of the band came out afterwards to cheers from the room, and they played a truly euphoric set, including songs like “Shadows” and closing out the night with “In Circles” during their encore.

Across both days, Something in the Way Fest did an exceptional job- sets stayed on time for a large portion of both days, only really falling behind at one point and then quickly regaining back to schedule not long after. The lineup was multi-faceted, yet made perfect sense, and for those that like alternative music, there was something there for you- and probably more you hadn’t discovered before. It was a welcome breath of fresh air compared to festivals that seem to only exist to extract as much money from attendees as possible- merch and food were affordable, there were places to rest, and re-entry until 8 PM, allowing you to outsource food, bring things to and from parking, and cool off in the frigid temps outside. While a lot of live music events aren’t considerate of the fans that make them possible, Something in the Way delivered an experience that seemed to truly be by music fans, for music fans.

---

Photos – Something in the Way at Roadrunner in Boston, MA on February 1st: