REVIEW: Sugar Refreshingly Breaks a Three-Decade Hiatus
10/18 @ Basilica Hudson
Photo by Paul Kazee
“Mould unleashed the shards of six-string squawk that have kept him a hero since his hardcore days.”
Sugar, the alternarock trio spearheaded by Husker Du frontman Bob Mould, disbanded in 1995, following a brief but influential run.
The band — also including Athens, Georgia bassist David Barbe and Boston drummer Malcom Travis (a former Capital Region resident) — reformed in October of last year, landing Sunday at Basilica in Hudson. It was, at least in geezer music circles, kind of a big deal.
Over three decades later, the band, amazingly, felt like it hadn’t missed a beat, filling the industrial space with tight, ferocious pop songs.
There’s a case to be made that if the Ramones had focused their collective laser on Gene Clark rather than Brian Wilson, they might have been Sugar. Mould’s buzzsaw downstroke hints at Johnny Ramone’s persistence, after all, and his immediately identifiable vocal instrument, like Johnny’s, while not what anyone would call classic, remains infectiously melodic.
In the mold of XTC’s Colin Moulding, Barbe, also noted as Drive-By Truckers album producer, handled about a third of the evening’s lead vocals, but focus never fell far from Mould, who strutted the stage with his trusty black Stratocaster whenever untethered from his mic.
The opening salvo of “The Act We Act,” set an immediate pattern for the night. Following right on the heels of Barbe’s bass introduction, Travis brought his never-fail beat to bear. To call him a machine is nothing less than a compliment. More importantly, Mould unleashed the shards of six-string squawk that have kept him a hero since his hardcore days.
Sugar didn’t last long enough to become a ‘greatest hits’ band, but what followed was a cascade of fan favorites, like “Changes,” “After All the Roads Have Led to Nowhere,” and the punk anthem “Hoover Dam,” spread across a 90-minute set, most of which felt as relevant now as they did then.
The truth of the latter is testament to Mould’s skill as a craftsman and to the trio’s talents as musicians.
The only evident energy flag was with “Explode and Make Up”, about two thirds of the way through the show. Instead of dancing, there was bopping in place, but even that ebbed during the thorny, indecisive grunge of “Explode.”
Barbe shone with “Company Book” and “In the Eyes of My Friends,” and his light-hearted band introductions following the bracing instrumental “Clownmaster” provided welcome levity and warmth.
Mould delivered in every way with “Gift,” “Long Live Love,” and the aforementioned “Hoover Dam.” When he did offer the occasional guitar solo, it was always sparse, pointed and well-aware of its place in the ensemble.
Sugar closed its refreshingly no-encore show by inviting actress Lecy Goranson (best-known as the original Becky Conner from Roseanne) up as a glorified go-go dancer for a perfectly rousing “If I Can’t Change Your Mind.”
Overall, not a bad way to cap a 31-year absence, with Sugar on top.
Opener J. Robbins, on a troubadour side trip from his D.C. band Jawbox, made no secret of being a Sugar fan, in heart or in sound. Paraphrasing the old saw about never wanting to meet your heroes, he suggested people just needed “cooler heroes.”
His punchy solo acoustic set was highlighted by the politics of “Dear Leader,” which he unhappily admitted was written in the wake of learning that he shares a birthday with our current president.