Posted: by The Alt Editing Staff
Renowned screamo band Saetia played in Boston as part of their only east coast shows of 2024. Performing at the long standing Middle East downstairs, Saetia live in Boston sold out the 500 cap room for a night to remember. Opening first on the bill was the Boston emo violence band New Forms.
After releasing their eardrum shattering debut LP, As Dust Collects, New Forms has been bringing these 12 songs to a new level in their live show. Kicking off their set with “Damaging Sequence” and “Perpetual Dream State”, these pack-a-punched two minutes of music had those there early moshing with all their might. Kids were already drenched in sweat and ready to let their energy out. With minimal stage banger, New Forms played every song from As Dust Collects (sub “Celestial Frequency” which was replaced by a movie sound clip from Annihilation) in their relentless 20 minute opening slot.
Following New Forms set was Sinaloa, a band whose name comes up in the same conversations as Saetia, Orchid, and Ampere. Sinaloa played as the perfect transition band with their blend of calculated chaos and urgency. Moments of continued long building guitar drones gave people time to cool off and direct their attention to the music over moshing. Fans who missed their original run as a band in the early 00’s should be watching out for more activity from this outfit in the future.
Saetia proudly took the stage around 9pm and kickstarted their set with “Notres Langues Nous Trompes”, “The Sweetness and the Light”, and “An Open Letter”. It felt as if no time had passed since their formation in 1997. With Billy Werner’s vocals still as forceful as ever backed by Adam Marino and Tom Schlatter’s drilling guitar riffs, Saetia was getting the audience moving. Despite security’s best efforts to keep people off the stage (note – this is the venue The Chisel played at where a crowd surfer broke the sprinkler head) kids were relentlessly pouring over the stage. Multiple speeches were given sharing their endless gratitude for the support in 2024 as they reassured us that had it not been for the new wave of kids keeping screamo alive, they would not be playing this show. Saetia wrapped up their hour long set with “One Dying Wish” before thanking their fans, new and old, for keeping their band relevant 20 plus years after their formation.
Documenting Saetia live in Boston was a collective effort among us who care about preserving these moments. Please be sure to also check out coverage of this show from Hal Capone and Return to the Pit.
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Kyle Musser//
Adam G//@adamgills