Viagra Boys brought their 1993 Shrimp City Beach Reunion tour to a sold-out night in Boston. Accompanied by Lip Critic, the band is currently on tour to celebrate the release of their 2022 full-length, Cave World, a seminal post-punk record written for the freaks and by the freaks.
Hailing primarily from Stockholm, Sweden, Viagra Boys have been producing thumping and booming art-punk music laced with irony and satirical political statements about conspiracy theorists and hypermasculinity. This dates back to their origins with the name directly mocking the failures of men in society, as told by singer Sebastian Murphy.
The band wasted no time on stage, immediately jumping into “Ain’t No Thief,” the leading single off their recent album. The single chronicles singer Murphy’s interactions with others who claim he has stolen a niche family heirloom, be it a decorated lighter or jacket, when he reveals it is pure coincidence and “we just have the same stuff.”
The energy within the venue was palpable throughout the evening, which fed right back to the band. A single spotlight highlighted saxophone player, Oskar Carls, as he played an extended version of “Cold Play,” a brief saxophone interlude from their sophomore album Welfare Jazz, allowing the band to catch their breath, but they sprang right back into action with Murphy’s spoken word introduction for “Creepy Crawlers.”
As the crowd chanted for the band to return to the stage, Viagra Boys came back for more with a three-song encore, led by “Return to Monke”, the closing track off their latest LP. The band finished the night with seemingly more energy than they started with, making their third visit to Boston a massive success.
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PHOTO GALLERY BY Cam Cavagnaro
IG: @camcavagnaro
