Oh, Alkaline Trio, how I’ve missed you.
Not long after their second full-length, Maybe I’ll Catch Fire, released, I was hooked. Maybe not obsessively - though I’m not sure I can count how many times I’ve talked myself out of getting the heart and skull logo - but it was easy to see and hear that they had something figured out and were speaking to listeners in a very specific way. Dark and brooding, self-deprecating and honest, catchy as hell, it was Spooky Kid music but in a really different, not immediately obvious way.
That would change over time, of course. Suits and ties, leaning into a certain aesthetic both sonic and physical, branching out into more lush, less punk rock soundscapes (though, I think it’s safe to argue that they’ve always been Punk Rock, it just ebbed and flowed). While not everything they released always worked for me, I’ve always been a fan. With Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs, though, it feels like something changed again. It sounds like old Alkaline Trio, but filtered through a couple decades, a bunch more records, some big hits, and more than a few side projects (oh, and also joining one of the biggest bands of the 2000s) worth of experience. It’s a record that’s somehow brand new and deeply nostalgic.
And that’s exactly what the band brought to the stage at MegaCorp this past Sunday.
Kicking things off, Norway export Slomosa brought a heavier, gnarlier presence to the tour than I would have anticipated. Reminiscent of The Sword, Kylesa, and other purveyors of fuzzed-out, riffy stoner rock, hearing it from a band like Slomosa was nonetheless invigorating. In true opener fashion, they got the crowd right into it, and I know more than a few folks who left the show a new fan.
Almost a year to the day, Spanish Love Songs returned to the area (you might have last seen them on the opening night of Hot Mulligan’s headlining tour in Cincy) and absolutely crushed it (really, both bands were perfect foils for Alkaline Trio). Their particular brand of emotive rock and typically somber lyricism was an interesting and ultimately enjoyable segue between Slomosa’s straightforward rock and roll and Alkaline Trio’s darker take on pop punk. And exactly like Slomosa, Spanish Love Songs made a lot of new fans by the end of their set. We really do love to see it.
Finally, Alkaline Trio arrived in matching suits, armed with a new drummer (in case you missed it, Atom Willard is now with the band and had a lot to say about it), intense lighting, and slightly tweaked takes on a lot of classic tracks. The setlist was like a fanboy fever dream, leaning heavily into the uniformly excellent new material found on Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs, and plucking some of the best and darkest cuts from across more than two and a half decades worth of material. I was especially delighted to hear a few from what is, to me, their all around best work, From Here To Infirmary - though I think an argument can be made that their newest could take the spot for me in time. And I know for a fact every one of their fans left reeling from such a great set. I honestly don’t know how they could have both celebrated their terrific new album and appeased long-time fans any better than they did.
All told, this was a far cry from one of my first times seeing the band on a stage, in a parking lot, at a mid-size college in New Jersey. While I will always look back on that particular day with fondness, getting to see a band like this at the top of their game, with palpable energy and a renewed sense of purpose was pretty damn special. If you were able to catch them on this tour, I hope it was the same for you. If not, I’m not too worried about it. It really does feel like Alkaline Trio has a lot more to say, and plenty left to do.
