Mitch Rowland at The Sinclair, 3/10/24
In the weeks leading up to it, I had Mitch Rowland’s concert noted down in my calendar as “Harry Styles Guitar Guy.” Knowing nothing about his solo music (and very little about Harry Styles’), I chose to shoot the show so I’d have my first concert press experience at a venue close to Tufts, covering a guitarist associated with a big name so I’d hear some new music and have something to write home about. Having just arrived back on campus from a hiking trip the day of the concert, I barely had enough time to get a borrowed camera handed off, throw on clothes, hop on a 96 bus, browse Rowland’s discography on the way, and pray I’d get good photos.
Working my way through the early crowd, I was pleasantly surprised to see a mosaic of ages in attendance, with 60-year-old couples on the balcony over to a lagoon of glittery high-school-age faces resting their chins on the stage barriers. Openers, sibling duo Harris and CJ Harper, eased the crowd into the night with acoustic, melancholy ballads decorated by Harris’ lullaby voice paired with CJ’s low, silky harmonies. Their nostalgic lyrics mustered imagery of childhood neighborhood streets, high-school parking lots, and unrequited first loves, using nothing but rainy guitar, glittering keyboard notes, and snowy, angelic vocals. Energy in the crowd was immediately responsive and impressive for the smaller venue, with silent, swaying respect dedicated to each song, and erupting cheers after they finished their set.
I was initially skeptical of whether the crowd would be there for Mitch himself, or for his Harry Styles connection. The setlist for the night was to consist solely of songs from his debut and only album, Come June, released in October of 2023, with no songs from Styles’ discography. From the get-go, I was pleasantly surprised to find mouths moving along to Mitch’s own lyrics as he kicked off his first song, “See The Way You Roll.” The audience was gracious and excited, with smiling faces and arms billowing up to each note. They were there not for Harry Styles’ sidepiece, but for Mitch Rowland.
For his gruff face and lumberjack look, Mitch has a surprisingly ranged voice; it can swing up to meet the higher notes in his ballad-y songs, and crash down for the louder, rock-out tunes. His singing consistently met the buzz of the band beautifully in both volume and tone. One of my favorite touches to the live experience was the instrumental ambience rumbled out between each song; the band almost never stopped making sound, from the climaxes of each track to a low, natural hum, holding us in anticipation for the swan-dive into the next melody. The set seemed sewn into one continuous ring, mending any jank that tends to appear between singer and band, or between songs during live shows. With minimal but charming audience interactions, Mitch held our attention masterfully throughout the night.
As the show drifted from mellower songs (“Bluebells” and the unreleased “Carry On With Your Tea”) into faster, energized sounds (“On The Line” and “Illusionist”), we were slowly introduced to the skillset of each and every band member onstage. Mitch’s handling of the guitar was like watching him train a wild creature; not as if he conquered it, but like he slowly melted a sort of barrier between himself and the instrument. He got faster and faster, all the while comfortable and confident. We moved through several songs of varying intensity, showing off fluttering notes of jazz in “Illusionist,” a certain folkiness in “When It All Falls Down,” soul in “Shadow Range,” romance in “The One I Love,” and soft cries of rock-and-roll in “All The Way Back.” Despite the versatility of the album, it never strayed unnaturally from a signature underlying aura defining Mitch and his music’s character.
Complimenting Mitch and the skill of his performance, I cannot overstate how the audience made the night special; they adapted and blended to each song with the happy sways of their shoulders and speed of their hands. We eventually plunged into my favorite tune of the night, “Medium Low,” a cheery track that, about 3 minutes in, switches gears towards rock, and resounds louder and louder with repetitive riffs from the whole ensemble at once. This moment was the complete highlight of the show. It brought the whole venue into one breathing, beating organism, and re-listening to the song after has never evoked the same power as the live band. The ensemble soon finished up with Mitch’s most popular song and the title track of his album, “Come June,” to cheers and chants from the audience that ended the night with proud energy.
Unfamiliar and slightly skeptical of his music upon arrival, Mitch Rowland has quickly entered orbit as a favorite for me, and hopefully the same for other audience members who started the night unfamiliar with him. With very little flashiness of lights, set design, or any other extra pomp, Mitch’s Sinclair performance was a raw show of skill as a musician. His set was nothing short of captivating, and in just over an hour, severed him from Harry Styles completely in my mind. He lives and breathes as his own artist, and I simply could not have asked for a better first press experience.
