LIVE REVIEW + PHOTOS: The Scratch, Jinty McGrath in Boston, MA (05.08.26)
Irish rock band The Scratch put on an electrifying performance at the Brighton Music Hall on Friday. They were joined by folk-rock singer Jinty McGrath, opening up the night. The band is currently on tour to promote their newest album, Pull Like A Dog, and a portion of their merch sales are going towards helping address the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
The band’s choice of instruments is very intriguing to me. Their heavy, almost metal-like music is being produced on two acoustic guitars rather than electric guitars. This is a cheap and easy way to swap between slow folk music and heavy rock n’ roll without having to swap instruments. Their “drum set” consists of a bass drum and a cajon, with drumsticks covered in tape to hit the cajon. I don’t think I’ve ever seen heavy rock on a cajon, especially not with Dan Lang’s unique homemade drumsticks. This unique drum kit allows Lang to create a drum sound I can only describe as a call-to-arms. Every song makes you feel as if you’re about to go to war with them, and every single audience member was very happy to follow them. At one point, their tour manager even got on stage, grabbed a microphone, screamed a guttural metal scream, and then crowd-surfed off stage.
Their music is very heavy and angry in their live performances, but you don’t get to feel it as much in the studio recording. There’s a type of energy in their music that you can only feel when you’re there in person listening to the music. They can swap between soft folk sounds and heavy and in-your-face rock as easily as breathing. Their storytelling and lyrics, mixed with their beautiful melodies, leave you thirsting for more. Luckily for the audience, there are still many more shows to come. This is only their first night of their very first US tour, and already they’ve built an army of excited, willing followers who will follow them throughout their future journey.
Photos – The Scratch, Jinty McGrath at Brighton Music Hall in Boston, MA on May 8th:
