Surf Curse at Deep Cuts, 9/16/23

My first encounter with Surf Curse was in 2015, a couple of years after they had released their hit single “Freaks” in 2013. That happened to be the year I really started to get into indie music, and that song propelled me to dive in further. In the summer of 2021, I started going to local shows in my hometown of Miami. I celebrated my 18th birthday with a house show, where I remember watching one of the Miami scene favorites Scarlett Hearts cover “Freaks.” I couldn’t wait to see that song performed by Surf Curse at one of their concerts, and I made a promise to myself I would see them that I finally fulfilled here in Boston. 

I always get a great feeling going to a venue for the first time. You don’t know what the space is going to look like or feel like, and you never know what crowd you’re going to encounter. As I walked in, the space was already filled to the brim, and mind you, Deep Cuts isn’t the biggest venue, so I knew I was in for an intimate night with the bands. People of all ages were there to see Surf Curse, most wearing merch old and new, mixing older fans with newcomers like myself. 

Brutus VIII was set to take the stage before Surf Curse. When he came on the crowd went wild, and I could only imagine it was going to be significantly more intense when Surf Curse took the stage. All of his songs started off with pre-recorded spoken word passages, crossing into performance art and directly reaching the hearts of the audience. His music also intensely rejects the concept of soft indie rock, breaking into lengthy fits of no-wave experimentation. It was new to me, and the way he was able to capture the crowd with his performance was powerful. Every once in a while, he would jump off the stage and mosh with us, erasing the divide between him, the stage, and the concert-goers. His vocals and abrasiveness almost reminded me of Bristol rockers IDLES, with something in the color of his voice that reminded me of them. As his set came to an end, I could already feel the crowd getting riled up for Surf Curse. 

I had to somehow make my way to the front of the pit to get some good coverage for the night. As I started, I reached a point where I was almost at the stage, but the crowd wouldn’t budge anymore. Their feet were planted on the ground, getting ready to sing along and dance to Surf Curse. 

After a quick fifteen minutes between sets, which likely was the consequence of the intimate venue, Surf Curse swiftly took to the stage. “Good evening Boston! Or shall I say, Medford… same thing…” said Jacob Rubeck, the band’s rhythm guitarist and backup vocalist, giving us a warm welcome. There was a bit of banter here and there between the members, but before we knew it, Nick Rattigan, drummer and lead vocalist (also the face of Current Joys), started off the night with “All Is Lost”, the perfect song to begin their set with. The entire track is a rush of energy that reverberated throughout the crowd, not leaving a single person in the room standing still. Throughout the set, they didn’t disappoint and inspired crowd sing-alongs, keeping the momentum high. There was never a low point of energy in the crowd, it was a constant moshing, jumping, and dancing by the concert-goers. The other two members of the band, Henry Dillon (bass) and Noah Kholl (lead guitar) contributed to the great performances of Rattigan and Rubeck. 

Around the third or fourth song, I saw a small opening and took it as my only chance to get right up against the stage. And of course, I pushed through (politely, I promise), and finally right at the source of the action. There was a moment when Rattigan looked at the “press pit” (a bunch of photographers kneeling by the stage trying to avoid getting pushed onto the stage by the crowd), and said “I feel so special, like if people actually care about us, or something…” The crowd responded with shouts of “Of course we love you!” and the band proceeded to share some anecdotes in return, maybe out of gratitude. Rubeck mentioned that the first-ever concert they were booked for was in Boston, but unfortunately, the cops showed up to the house venue and shut things down before they could perform. They later mentioned that their real first show took place in Providence, and the rest of the members smiled and nodded along, reminiscing about moments that happened almost a decade ago. 

After a couple more songs, I made my way back to the tail end of the crowd, making sure my camera wasn’t getting hit by moshers, and enjoyed the rest of the concert from there. It's incredible how the crowd remained tireless, maintaining their energy one song after another, and you could tell the band was having the time of their lives playing together, with the biggest smiles on their faces, playing with so much energy, dancing along with the crowd. Suddenly, between songs, there was a much longer pause than usual. Were there technical problems? Did the band need a break? Nope, they were just preparing the crowd, growing suspense. That's when I knew to take out my phone and record this special moment. 

I fulfilled the promise I made to myself 2 years ago, and I finally heard “Freaks” live, from the one and only Surf Curse themselves. It was such a special moment, that I decided to capture some of it for myself, and then put my phone away to enjoy with the rest of the people there. Several people stage-dived, creating a crowd-surfing frenzy in the tight space, and the surrealness felt like a scene out of a movie. 

As the song came to an end, I assumed that the show would be over. But no, they kept playing, giving the fans everything they wanted. Once they announced that they were about to play their final song of the night, they followed up with a “just kidding” and played a sped-up cover of “Paranoid” by Black Sabbath. That really got everyone moving (as if they ever stopped). They then closed the night with their other hit “Disco,” making it a perfect ending to the evening. They stretched out the song as if they didn’t want to stop playing, soaking up the ecstasy of being on stage. But unfortunately, the night had come to an end. As they walked off stage, they were bombarded with shouts of “I love you,” “We miss you already,” and “You guys are the best!” from the crowd, with the band thanking them and blowing kisses to the concertgoers. They gave away their handwritten setlists, said many thanks once more, and just like that, disappeared into the back of the venue.