Illiterate Light’s Electric Set at The Sinclair

november 16th, 2024 -- boston

On a Saturday night at The Sinclair in Massachusetts, Virginia-based band Illiterate Light brought southern rock n’ roll energy to the packed venue. On November 4th, Jeff Gorman and Jake Cochran released their third album Arches, a high-energy collection of songs ranging from topics of small-town happenings, familial ties, and black holes.

Illiterate Light opened their set with a promise to make the show the “best one we’ve ever played in Boston,” and kicked immediately into “Feb 1st,” a track off their sophomore album Sunburned. Cochran’s pounding drums with Gorman’s electric riffing set the energy high in the crowd, as fans sang along to the song and danced. The following track “Light Me Up” was also from their second album, and it kept people rocking alongside the duo jamming out on stage.

Illiterate Light then jumped into tracks from their new album, starting with “Payphone,” the opening song on Arches. The repetitive chorus had audience members singing along as Gorman’s voice echoed around the venue, emphasizing the nature of the song, and the way that Illiterate Light, despite only being two people, feels like an ensemble act. They continued to follow the track order with “Dead Nettles” and “All the Stars are Burning Out” playing next, both songs an almost musical juxtaposition of each other that people took notice of. “Dead Nettles” starts in classic Illiterate Light fashion: loud, with a steady beat, and relatable, and the crowd before them maintained this air of vitality. The following piece, though, starts slower, forcing the audience to sway rather than stomp, and take notice of Gorman and Cochran’s consistency in keeping an engaging, yet non-overwhelming rock vibe.

Back to a song from Suburned, Gorman performed a hauntingly stunning solo version of “Wake Up Now,” utilizing a synth-echo feature that had his voice and guitar reverberating throughout the room. Later in the set, Cochran takes center stage to sing his song “Always Always,” where he interacted with the audience as he sang the sweet, humble song. Both instances are proof of the duo's ability to be artistically distinct, and a testament to the power they create when playing together.

“Montauk,” a piece off of Arches and inspired by the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, brought the energy back up, especially as it was followed with “Nuthin’s Fair,” a song off Illiterate Light’s debut album. “Norfolk Southern,” both a nod to the band’s roots in Virginia’s Appalachian region and a commentary on the train derailment in Ohio in 2023, invigorated a sense of small-town pride and loyalty to the big city concert.

Photo Creds: Illiterate Light Instagram

Right before the pair blared into “Blood Lines,” the final song on Arches, Gorman took a moment to address the audience about how the song honors his family, his late father, and the important people in his life, highlighting how it was also his birthday. Gorman taught the crowd the chorus of the song, who in turn delivered on their promise of singing as loud as they could while the band played the track. Gorman and Cochran gave every fiber of their being out on the stage as they jumped and banged their heads along to the song, pausing their singing to hear the audience scream the chorus.

Toward the end of the set, the two men, with nothing but a single microphone, came to the front of the stage to perform “Growin’ Down,” the philosophical, introspective piece fitting for the current time. Illiterate Light went back to Arches to play “I Ride Alone” before a cover of Neil Young’s “Vampire Blues,” the latter an Illiterate Light tour staple for its capacity to display the pair’s drum and guitar technique.

The set concluded with “Better Than I Used To,” a spirited, vigorous finale for the show, that ended with a shouting crowd and a bow.

The Sinclair may be a venue in a big city, drawing in people who may have never stepped foot in the South. Still, on that Saturday night with Illiterate Light, it was a one-way ticket to the roaring heart of Virginia, and a promise that there will always be something to shine a light on.

Listen to Illiterate Light’s new album here and see the rest of their tour dates.