Spirit of the Beehive and Amanda X return from tour for a gritty gig with Pile and Big Ups

Pile | Photo by Rachel Del Sordo | racheldelsordophotography.com

Four young and talented post-punk bands brought their peculiar musical stylings to First Unitarian Church on Wednesday. This show marked the first stop of tour for Boston’s Pile and New York’s Big Ups, and served as a solid homecoming for Amanda X and Spirit of the Beehive, who recently returned home from a month-long tour across the US.

The bands performed on the floor in front of the stage, and the first three acts had the added backdrop of Craig Scheihing’s experiential art projections, while Pile elected to headline the show in the dark. Spirit of the Beehive was loud and hazy, taking punk influences into a dark, psychedelic realm, while Amanda X’s set was the most accessible of the night, being full of catchy melodies and grungy tones.

Big Ups put on an excited and abrasive set, with a mix of chaotic tunes from 2014’s Eighteen Hours of Static, notably “Goes Black” and “Wool,” and some unreleased tracks that were driven by heavy riffs and Joe Galarraga’s gritty shouting. Pile, who has been building somewhat of a cult following with Dripping and the more recently release You’re Better Than This, closed out the evening in momentous fashion. The Boston phenomenon has a dissonant sound, marked by high-strung emotion and disparate guitar riffs, and their likeness to Fugazi become apparent after experiencing their vigorous live show.