Welcome our first contribution from Jason Shepherd, previous Baltimorean ex-planted to Boston. Here’s his take on VHS or Beta’s show at the Middle East.

All photos: Flickr user ryan97ou, shot @ the Ottobar, Baltimore MD

Monday night is usually one of the quietest nights for a show, but the crowd that gathered for the VHS or Beta show in Cambridge, MA, was full of energy from the get go.

The downstairs at the Middle East has a similar feel to the Black Cat in DC, one can be intimate with the band but still have good sound..and easy access to a full bar. I saw VHS last year when they set out touring their new album “Bring on the Comets”. They were rather flat then and still sorting out the kinks of playing the new songs live. This night, they really lived up to their lyrics, setting the night on fire!

The new songs have a more basic rock sound to them, with the drummer playing analog drums for the first time. Although still catchy, I prefer their older dance/funk songs.

Craig Pfunder’s voice tends to be flat live, and VHS really come into their own on instrumental songs (see their debut album Le Funk). Being Cambridge, the audience had an eclectic mix of people..there was even some break-dancing going on..a la MIT style..glasses and all. VHS played three long encore songs, and invited the fanatical audience to dance with them on stage…well it started with an invitation for one guy to come on stage to show off what have to be shortest jean shorts ever seen! All in all a great show if you love to groove and dance to your rock music.

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