fbpx

Rumble Finals Preview: Weakened Friends, Worshipper, and usLights battle for the 2016 crown

By the time the reborn and reignited Scissorfight takes the Once Ballroom stage as the special guest band at Friday's Rock And Roll Rumble finale, Boston's best local music festival will have hosted 24 bands, 35 performances, and an incalculable amount of tacos consumed (both on stage and off) over a 20-night period.

As the judges deliberate up in the Once green room, ignoring the inevitable sound bleed from Scissorfight down in the ballroom and determining which 2016 participant will receive the crown from last year's champs Zip-Tie Handcuffs, one thing will be for sure: This was one of the most fun Rumbles ever. After nearly four decades of spirited rock and roll competition, this year's edition felt like a rebirth, as the new Somerville location, both Once's lived-in balcony lounge and the wide-open main ballroom, gave a certain freshness to the prelims and semis, and a new crop of young bands and scene veterans injected another dose of friendly rivalry and unmitigated support among fellow musicians. It felt like this was a year truly based around new music discovery.

But, this is a competition, and a winner on Friday will be declared. Amazingly, the final three -- likely favorite and metal juggernaut Worshipper, dark-horse indie rock sparkplug Weakened Friends, and electronic pop survivalists usLights -- all offer a distinct sound with little crossover. It's a nice reflection of the eclectic Boston scene, and going into the finals, it's truly any band's to win. It'll all come down to their individual performances.

Instead of predictions, here's a closer look at the 2016 Rock And Roll Rumble's final three, and how they got here:

Prev3 of 3Next
Swipe or use your ← → (arrow) keys

10:30 p.m.: Worshipper (semi-finals night 1 winner)

If there was one band in the pole position throughout this year’s Rumble, it was Worshipper, a crew of Boston music veterans coming together to throw down a thunderous batch of old school metal and hard rock. They won their preliminary night easily, then faced a potential hiccup in the semis — ace guitarist Alejandro Necochea would leave the band to fill in for labelmates Carousel on the Pittsburgh band’s European tour. Enter ex-Waltham and Airport guitarist Craig Small, who deserves all the props in the world for learning Worshipper’s set and delivering the band to the final. Few can replace Necochea, and it took a few songs in Worshipper’s set for the band to hit their stride, but once the quartet found its rhythm, they rode a flaming motherfucking chariot into the final. Worshipper’s sound is forceful yet melodic, and no matter what happens in the judges room, watching a one-two punch of Worshipper and Scissorfight on a Friday night in Somerville has the makings of one beast of a night. Bring earplugs.

Prev3 of 3Next
Swipe or use your ← → (arrow) keys