The Backfires Concert Review: Indie Rock on All Cylinders at Sonia

On Tuesday, Feb. 4 in Central Square, the fairy lights lining Massachusetts Avenue shone brightly as cheery friends wandered through the chill evening air, setting the upbeat scene perfectly for The Backfires to take the stage just around the corner at Sonia. It’s an intimate setting, with the venue’s smaller size and friendly lighting making the different groups of audience members laughing over a drink feel more like family than strangers. As The Backfires coolly took the stage, the intimacy was not lost. The energy was amplified exponentially in a show that took the audience for a ride of head banging, pounding beats, and power chords.

After a wonderful opening jaunt from San Diego indie rock band Foxtide, The Backfires immediately set the bar high with a live rendition of “Brighter Lights,” their debut album’s opener and one of its highlights. The rock band, featuring members from both New York City and London, released their album “This is Not an Exit” just two weeks ago. Singer Alex Gomez launched his voice into its upper register powerfully, a sprinkling of reverb adding the finishing touches to an effective vocal tone.

Bassist Matt Walter. The Backfires released "This Is Not An Exit" on Jan. 24. By Courtesy of Alessandro M.M. Drake

The band’s energy came mostly from the guitar and drums, whose chemistry was immediately evident as guitarist Harry Ruprecht’s technical riffs combined with quick hi-hat fills and a pounding bass drum. The only gripe to be had with Ruprecht was that he didn’t showcase even more of his skill, as the short solos he did play involved bursts of fingers flying over the fretboard of his beautiful red Epiphone.

There were certainly lower points of the show, with the energy lagging a little on “I Know You Know.” The concert generally lulled near its middle — something that wasn’t helped by the lack of crowd work from the band. However, by the time they reached “Going Gets Easy” in the latter half of the set, the higher-paced songs, especially those with alternating moments of powerful guitar backing and quieter vocal isolation, succeeded in getting the crowd involved again.

Higher-paced songs with driving drum beats raised the energy. By Courtesy of Alessandro M.M. Drake

One of The Backfire’s main strengths is how catchy their guitar-driven choruses are, something that translated very well to the stage. Even the heavier songs were ultimately easy listening — audience members often sang along even to relatively new material. “Replace It All” was a perfect example, syncopated drum lines and towering vocals from Gomez making for an incredibly danceable part of the show.

“Blindsided,” the band’s most popular song, rounded off the set with its sing-along chorus driven by bassy drum beats and significant vocal doubling — effectively reproduced live with Ruprecht on the backup vocals. Bassist Matt Walter also added to these vocals and maintained a consistent bass backing for the band with his picked lines, staying true to the root note to give the other members a platform from which to spring off.

The Backfires immediately set the bar high with a live rendition of “Brighter Lights.” By Courtesy of Alessandro M.M. Drake

It’s worth noting just how tight most of the set’s songs were — the band clearly puts a lot of effort into rehearsing and keeping their live renditions true to the promise of their studio efforts. The chemistry of the band was palpable, with songs like “Aphrodite” displaying an evident mutual understanding between the thumping rhythm section and the melodic turnarounds coming from vocals and guitar.

Overall, The Backfires made for some solidly fun Tuesday night entertainment. The crowd at Sonia was a receptive one, and the band led the evening into a collection of good tunes and good vibes. With a bit more of a lively stage presence, and maybe a few more hits under their belt, The Backfires could transform into a rock band to be reckoned with.

—Staff writer Alessandro M. M. Drake can be reached at alessandro.drake@thecrimson.com.