Chicago band Ratboys kicked off the year with a stellar start in the indie rock world with their record Singin’ to an Empty Chair. They quickly hopped on the road for a tour alongside this release, and Nashville was lucky to have the boys stop in the city to sing some tunes from their new record. The indie rock community has been lucky to have some hard-hitting female led bands in the past few years, and Ratboys is a great example as their lead Julia Steiner commanded the stage throughout the show. The opening band, Florry, was also led by frontwoman Francie as they opened the show with head banging country songs. After a set full of catharsis-through-song from Florry, Ratboys took the stage and aptly opened their set with the first song from the latest record, “Open Up.”
They continued to play a few more songs from their recent record, including the epic 5 minute, fast paced single “Light Night Mountains All That.” Frontwoman Julia praised the audience at the Basement East’s energy, appreciating the receptiveness of the crowd and their willingness to get on their feet and move during specific songs. She also mentioned the importance of Nashville to the band, sharing how the current band members met in the city and how they have played at the Beast before. The show continued on with perfect segues from slower songs to energetic ones, ranging from across Ratboys’ discography, including some “deep cuts” as stated by singer Julia. The show officially closed with an encore of two fan favorite songs, “Go Outside” and “Black Earth, WI,” making a perfect conclusion to the night.
- GC Moorman
Photos Courtesy of GC Moorman (For Bell Music Magazine)
