It’s pretty easy to determine whether there will be moshing at a concert before you arrive depending on the music genre. In Sasami’s case, her shift from soft shoegaze indie-rock to a more upbeat metal sound, almost immediately confirmed moshing at her show last Friday night at Lincoln Hall.
Sasami released her latest record Squeeze earlier this year and it met me with a pleasant surprise. The record plays tug of war with itself; going back and forth between full-on metal tracks and her alternative rock roots that are more vocally driven. That duality made for a show I was very eager for.
Before Sasami came on stage, Jigsaw Youth rocked out to an energetic Lincoln Hall audience. I had never seen such an active and spirited crowd ready to go from the start, although Jigsaw Youth did in fact come ready and put on an amazing set. They got the crowd to open up the pit and mosh for the majority of their show! They did an incredible job at hyping the crowd for Sasami. I’m thrilled I was able to catch their set.
It’s always a surreal feeling seeing artists emerge on stage in person for the first time. With Sasami wearing a quilt-like dress with biblical images, a leather harness and fishnets, I knew we were in for an exhilarating show. Sasami opened with “The Greatest” off her latest album; a great way to ease into the night before delving into her more hardcore material. Lincoln Hall was vibrating with the intoxicating metal sounds that followed. “Skin A Rat” and “Say It” with their rugged guitars and distorted vocals and screams echoed throughout the venue. It’s so impressive when artists reshape a genre (especially one that has been dominated by men for years), bending and molding into something new and unique.
Sasami put her soul into the performance. Her passion for her music shined through as she head banged, danced and joked about pegging with the crowd. Sasami, among other artists with a similar vibe, is bringing life back to metal in their own unique way. It won’t be long before Sasami becomes a common alternative music name as she’s hitting the road this summer with HAIM. If you missed her at Lincoln Hall you can still catch her at Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island on June 3!
All photos by Andrew Lagunas