Boris @ Racket, New York, NY 10/23/24

October 24, 2024

Bill: Boris/Starcrawler

Venue: Racket, New York, NY

Date: 10/23/24

Door: Sold Out (Stubhub ticket $41 after attempt to get $50 ticket at door from AXS last minute failed)

9:30pm Boris

Active: 1992 (Tokyo, Japan)

Latest Release: And Two Years Later (Fangs Anal Satan, 2024) "hello there" (with Coaltar of the Deepers) (U-Desper/Fangs Anal Satan, 2024), W (Sacred Bones, 2022)

Featured Release: Amplifier Worship (Third Man, 1993, reissued 2024)

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Missed: Starcrawler

It seemed to me Boris had increased in popularity a bit. Last nights show at 600 capacity Highline area venue Racket was a sellout for walkup and I lucked out with a last minute Stubhub single after almost giving up after trying to purchase a seemingly available secondhand ticket on AXS kept getting declined. I last saw the band at the 2023 Desertfest at Knockdown Center and before that 2018 at Le Poisson Rouge. They played Elsewhere and Webster Hall between those gigs, so they tend to have a regular yearly visit from Japan. The first time I saw Boris live was 2005 at the Leonard St. Knitting Factory. Everyone at that time emphatically assumed I was a long time fan, but it was word of mouth when they were on Southern Lord that got me to first check them out and buy some of their releases.

Anyway, I hadn't realized that Third Man reissued the bands debut album this year, so that accounts for some new audience increase that I hadn't taken into account after decades of being roughly at the same 400 capacity venue level. Since I was futzing around last minute for a ticket, I missed opener Starcrawler while they were playing. They were complimented by Boris on stage, so there is that.

As for the show, they are what they are. Droning with some guitar personality courtesy of Wata aka Watamantas. Frontman, bass player Takeshi doubles sometimes as a second drummer. Current drummer Atsuo also has a gong behind him. There was also a touring guitarist off to the right who I think was Michio Kurihara. If it wasn't him, it was the guy with a double neck guitar.