Screaming Females greets The Great Scott with wild stage presence, huge sound

On a typical Thursday night, The Great Scott -- a music venue in Allston, Mass. --  is overflowing with post-college punks looking to see their favorite underground acts tear up the stage and, in the true spirit of rock 'n’ roll, break every noise code violation possible. On Feb. 26, the Allston venue hosted New Jersey trio Screaming Females as it continued on its album release tour, which had started five days earlier in San Francisco. 

The new album, "Rose Mountain" (Feb. 24), sees Screaming Females mature from abrasive noise rock developed in New Brunswick basements into a far more deliberate style of songwriting. But the band has not lost its spirit; the show was every bit as raucous as past ones, showing off frontwoman Marissa Paternoster’s unbelievable guitar prowess. The tight rhythm section comprised of bassist "King Mike" Abbate and drummer Jarrett Dougherty held its own throughout the show, with King Mike making up for the lack of a rhythm guitarist. In fact, the studio recording on their albums does no justice to the band’s huge, raw sound, which can only be truly experienced at a loud, intimate venue like The Scott.

Supported by three other bands from their record label, Don Giovanni – Vacation, Tenement and Priests – Screaming Females played a sold-out show. A sizeable crowd built up even before the headliners took the stage around 10:30 p.m. Unfortunately, this reviewer missed the opening act, Vacation. Noise pop trio Tenement, however, put on a great show, spitting out the catchiest songs of the night.

Priests is a band worth elaborating on, if only to describe the intensity of its exhausting set. While the band had an interesting mix of bizarre riffs, well-intentioned fuzz and feedback, vocalist Katie Alice Greer’s atonal caterwaul could only be tolerated for so long. It was difficult at times to distinguish one song from another due to the seemingly endless wails that carried through consecutive numbers. Although she handled it with poise, Greer forgot the set list several times, even causing the band to start a song over. To her credit though, her energy was palpable, and the moments in which she stayed on key were not as grating. Others in the crowd, though barely bobbing their heads during the set, didn’t seem to mind, erupting into approving murmurs once the band got offstage; they even got compared to Joy Division by one particularly charmed audience member.

Despite these expressions of satisfaction, the change in the crowd’s demeanor was apparent as soon as Screaming Females got onstage. Eager moshers started pushing their way toward the front of the crowd, and the air was sticky with sweat. The band’s exhilarating set began with "Empty Head," a catchy tune from "Rose Mountain." The song had some signature big riffs, accentuating the perfect complement between King Mike’s warm bass tone and that of Paternoster’s guitar. Those unfamiliar with the band’s live shows might have been taken aback when Paternoster took command, bursting into a fury of shredding during the solo break. Although the studio version of the solo is not bad by any measure, the faster solos livened up the song as well as the crowd. Especially in a live setting, when overdubs aren’t possible, she worked wonders in filling up the stage, creating a “wall of sound.”

As the show progressed, these elaborate solo breaks became a theme, each one just as intense as the one before. The band’s stage performance in general was by far the most enthralling aspect of all the songs. Paternoster prowled the stage, guitar in hand, with formidable presence. In endearing contrast, when she finally addressed the crowd towards the end of the show, she was so soft-spoken in nature that one could hardly believe that she had embodied such a domineering attitude only moments before. King Mike also brought a lot of energy to the stage, even channeling some complex, Rush-like bass lines in certain songs.

The show went on to include some older tunes in the band's repertoire, like the noisy "Pretty Okay" (2008) and "It All Means Nothing" (2012). Toward the end of the show, Paternoster even dove into the crowd, guitar-first -- and, impressively, didn’t miss a note. The show ended with a two-song encore, finishing off an already exciting show with two charged-up performances. With the already successful reception of its new album, Screaming Females is bound to get a surge of popularity in the near future -- it’s definitely worth it to check out their smaller venue shows while it’s still possible!