Lucius performs “Two of Us on the Run” from the floor of The Sinclair in Boston.
By Robbie Simmons
It’s been a hell of a year for Lucius. In the year since I caught a ride with and subsequently interviewed the Brooklyn quintet, I have had the privilege of seeing Lucius headline the smallest venue in Boston, and a club that was once a stone church in a small New Hampshire town. I’ve seen them wow a full Wang Theater and capture the hearts of festivalgoers at Boston Calling in September.
Lucius’ rapid ascent began in January when NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts featured them. Following that, their songs were featured in Grey’s Anatomy and New Girl. They performed for just about anyone who would listen. The band spent the summer playing festival after festival nationwide, even appearing with Wilco at Solid Sound Fest in North Adams, MA. Prior to the October release of their full-length album Wildewoman, they were featured in the New York Times, Rolling Stone and Vogue. The album or songs from it have (and still continue to) pop up on numerous “Best of 2013” lists (including Rolling Stone and NPR). But the final piece of my 2013 Lucius puzzle was their sold out December 5th outing at Cambridge’s The Sinclair.
Local folk-pop duo You Won’t started the night out with an eclectic, even eccentric 45-minute set. The two members constantly bounce between instruments; they are rooted in guitar and drums, but also included harmonica, keyboards, a musical saw, and a harmonium. Despite the grating quality of lead vocalist Josh Arnoudse’s voice, You Won’t’s music is catchy and likeable, and at times emotionally charged and moving.
Lucius began with a dynamic, harmony driven cover of The Beatles’ “Free as a Bird,” and proceeded to launch into an energetic set including the entirety of Wildewoman and the percussion driven “Genevieve” from their self-titled EP. Lead vocalists Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig sported matching blonde bobs and plaid culottes, while percussionist Danny Molad, guitarist Pete Lalish, and guitarist/percussionist Andy Burri donned suits and fully buttoned shirts, all in black.
One of the first things that drew me to Lucius was their energy and togetherness, both between Laessig and Wolfe and the band as a whole. In the past year, they’ve only gotten better. Though their arrangements seem to change on a tour-to-tour basis, Lucius is tighter than ever. The crowd mirrored the band’s infectious energy, dancing, cheering, and singing along to every song. The popular “Tempest” drew a strong reaction, and the heart-melting “How Loud Your Heart Gets” united the audience as one breathing, singing organism. They closed the set with a rocked-up version of their album’s title track, “Wildewoman.”
For their encore, You Won’t joined Lucius for the ‘60s-esque “Turn it Around,” before doing something I never expected in this setting: they finished their encore acoustically from within the audience, joined but You Won’t’s Raky Sastri on the bowed saw. The subtlety of “Two of Us on the Run” brought the full venue to a dead silence. My favorite moment of the night was the resounding audience sing-along in the bridge: “There’s no races, only a runner / Just put one foot in front of the other.” To finish the night, we were entertained by the band’s rendition of the Paul McCartney written (and totally appropriate) “Goodbye.”
I’ve seen Lucius eight times in 14 months in a host of venues, as show-stealing openers and as solid, confident headliners. Since the first time I saw them take the stage at Brighton Music Hall, I knew this group really had something special and a tremendous future ahead of them, and I’m thrilled to end on this note:
Ladies and Gentlemen, Lucius has arrived.
