Summer is Forever II at the Royale

Erin Hussey ’19 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer

It may be February, but summer swept through Boston last weekend, heralded by two sold-out shows at the Royale by west coasters Cherry Glazerr, WAVVES, and Best Coast.  

Established headliners Best Coast and WAVVES brought on LA-based trio Cherry Glazerr to open their Summer is Forever II tour. These California youngsters released their first album in 2014 off the growing Orange County underground label Burger Records. Cherry Glazerr’s noisy garage punk is darkness covered in something sickly sweet. Lead vocalist Clementine Creevy growled and grooved her way through the first song, the 2014 single “Had Ten Dollaz.” The tempo never rising too rapidly, the crowd swayed and bobbed throughout their set, a combo of west coast slacker pop and grunge era lo-fi tracks. They closed with the classic “Grilled Cheese,” a seemingly innocent track, laced with sexual innuendo in its nonchalant guitar riffs, “grilled cheese / in my mouth / get on your knees / if you want a bite.“

Although raspy and reeling from the night before, Nathan Williams of WAVVES was in good, if not raucous spirits. WAVVES’ set opened with “Pony,” an infectiously fun track off the 2015 album V. Foreshadowing the evening through the guitar shredding and “woo-hoos,” they gave a giddy reappropriation to the phrase “it gets better,” as the good spirits only increased throughout the performance. In between songs, Williams took a moment to acknowledge their performance the evening before. “We gave security a hard time last night so let’s give them an even harder time. Let’s see how many people can crowd surf at the same time…and then we can see if we can jump through the floorboards together.” Boys, girls, and WAVVES dads alike were hyped with his encouragement, and a rowdy crowd pumped and pushed one another up towards the stage. With steady energy, WAVVES coursed through a favorites-filled set, including a mix of old and new tracks: “My Head Hurts,” “Demon to Lean On,” “Heart Attack,” and “Post Acid.” The set also included an angst-ridden performance of their most recent release “Dreams of Grandeur,” a single from their 2016 split with Best Coast off Williams’ label, Ghost Ramp. Williams moans into the song, “The situation is fucked / I’m not someone to run to,” over crashing guitar riffs and clattering drums. WAVVES closed with beach anthems “King of the Beach” and “Green Eyes.” The crowd was in for a bit of laugh when Williams’ screeching vocals transitioned to a belting Whitney Houston à la, “I Will Always Love You.” 

The sold-out venue was a sea of skaters, surfers, SoCal vibes, and, of course, the classic WAVVES dad; a chill mid-forties man decked in a vibrant print, collared shirt and sipping on a beer with his friend. The momentum that WAVVES created continued in upswing. Although angst-fueled WAVVES brings a biting edge to surf punk, Best Coast still maintains high intensity with a more subdued sound.  

Finally, Bethany Cosentino, draped in black mesh and wrapped in silver satin, took over the stage with Bobb Bruno and Best Coast. As with WAVVES, their set included old classics and new favorites.  The duo opened with their scuzzy beach-pop jam, “When I’m With You,” before transitioning to the shoegaze-y, melodies of their 2015 album, California Nights with the title track, “Heaven Sent,” and “So Unaware.” Cosentino apologized for being a bit under the weather but reassured the crowd she was stoked to be there regardless. Under empowering pink lighting, Cosentino’s sweet vibrato filled every corner of the Royale. Best Coast offered pop melodies of heartache, self-doubt, and jealousy against a backdrop of California cool. Both Bruno and Cosentino shredded on guitar, and the crowd roared for the 2012 Americana anthem “The Only Place,” a love song to the southern California lifestyle. “We’ve got the ocean, got the babes, got the sun, we’ve got the waves, this is the only place for me.” Despite being sick, Cosentino gave it her all, swirling around with her hair wild and wrapped in her microphone cord as she poured her soul out on stage. At 9:18 PM, they hailed out their time with a surf-verbed song about the uncertainties of real life, “When Will I Change?” asking the question, “When will I change? Visions of hope, visions of love / More than before, I want them to come.” A closer reminiscent of early Best Coast (circa Crazy For You) but with more mature lyrical content, left the crowd to walk out into what felt like a summer night.