Indie Rock is coming back and Kate Bollinger and Sharp Pins are on the front line of this revolution. 

Somerville’s Art at the Amory Oct. 12 was the fifth stop on Kate Bollinger’s ‘Song From a Thousand Frames of Mind’ tour and it got off to a bit of a rough start. The band getting held up at the Canadian border led to a delayed start, with the opener, Sharp Pins, not coming out until the original time Kate Bollinger was meant to come out. Though, the show must go on.

While playing the waiting game, not a grievance was uttered by anyone in the crowd. Many were there with limited knowledge of the artist but eager to spend their Saturday night with live music. There was an admittedly larger number of true fans than expected. The crowd was space conscious and kind, more than willing to talk with a smile on their face.

Eventually, Sharp Pins kicked the evening off hot and heavy. The instrumentals were distinctly rock with a steady and danceable beat set by the drummer. The vocals were breathy and hard to pick out on the fly in a distinctly indie way. Despite many not knowing the words, the crowd swayed and clapped along.

With such a close-knit venue, the connection between the band and the audience was easy to build, gentle but witty banter was shared between audience and listener whilst tuning their instruments. They were a charismatic crew and it was hard not to enjoy their set. 

There was a short interlude between Sharp Pins and Kate Bollinger to briefly reorganize before she finally came on stage, opening with “What’s this about.” The way Bollinger sings is similar to what one’s heard in a dream, light and airy with a quaking base set by the rest of her band. Her lead guitarist rifted like his life depended on it multiple times, leaving the crowd giddy and cheering for more. 

However, their bad luck seemed to continue well into the set. By the second song, a missing capo led to Bollinger asking the crowd for one, which they naturally lacked. Further into the set, even more technical difficulties arose. 

With frustration at the brink with the crowd, the key player saved the day, playing “Clair de lune” to fill the air. A joke about this being his new piece he was working on had the crowd giggling and the tension dissipated. This would become a bit throughout the show, “Clair de lune” getting played whenever trouble arose and always getting a laugh from the crowd. 

After a couple of songs, Bollinger said into the mic that they were going to play a new song for the first time, ever. After a few failed attempts, she admitted that they had learned it just that afternoon. Some encouragement from the crowd and they finally got it, with a few stutters throughout and a declaration of needing to write a few lyrics still. The feel in the crowd was grateful and buzzing with excitement nonetheless. 

There wasn’t a bad spot in the entire venue, each having its own perks. Those in the front could feel the bass thud and the drums bang their way into your heart. The back of the crowd allowed for dancing space, which many couples took advantage of. A few snuck up the mezzanine – despite it being set aside for those with media passes – and it’s understandable as the view from above was stellar. Watching the crowd sway in sync and being able to take it all in from above was an experience like no other.

Bollinger was a dream to see perform and, most importantly, persevere. She breathes a new life to indie music, which it was in desperate need of. Discovering indie music is meant to be like this, finding your way to a small venue and falling in love with someone you don’t know by hearing the music live. If you’re eager to find the next Faye Webster or Clairo, I’d keep your eyes on Bollinger.