While attending a sold-out night of rock music at The Basement East, I was not expecting to be blown away by a stripped-down acoustic set with ethereal vocals. However, this is what I walked into while mercury was opening for Arcy Drive on Oct. 16 as a part of the second leg of “The Pit Tour.” mercury’s beautifully eerie opening was juxtaposed with Arcy Drive’s more retro-sounding, relaxed rock sound, which made the show even more interesting.
With mercury’s long, flowing hair swirling around her long, white dress, she looked angelic as she hit haunting tones throughout her simplified set, contrasting their typical rock sound. This acoustic set lent more to the sadder, darker notes of mercury’s set, which were cemented as mercury played her single, “Heaven,” which is to be released in about a month.
Though her vocals were chilling and her stage presence ominous, mercury’s between-song remarks and friendly interactions at the merch stand showed an unexpected warmth and humility. This really shone through toward the end of the set when she covered Sheryl Crow’s “If It Makes You Happy” and giggled throughout the performance. mercury closed her short set on a higher note by playing “I Don’t Know You Like I Used To,” which has themes of longing, authenticity and being haunted by faded love.
This set transformed the audience from the doom and gloom of a Thursday night, uplifting them to be ready for the punchy, dance-worthy music of Arcy Drive.
Arcy Drive started off with some of their punchier songs, such as “Under The Rug,” which was led by a heavy bass and sharp drumbeats. While watching their set, I was struck by how Arcy Drive’s sound not only transported me to a late-90s, early- 2000s kind of rock but also to the beachier indie rock of my home state, California. This was accomplished through lead singer Nick Mateyunas’ raspy voice, which added that 90s angst rising above softer guitar strums and funky drumbeats from Brooke Tuozzo. All of this was backed up by strong, traditional lead guitar and bass, which were played by Austin Jones and Patrick Helrigel.
Moving more into the angsty side of their music, Arcy Drive played “Smoke & Fire,” which has powerful interludes that caused me to stop and reflect. This was reinforced by another emotional song, “River” — which was more like a musical rant compared to the introspective song before it. These songs were done with such confidence and expertise that I struggled to believe in the lead singer’s perception of Nashville.
“We get nervous in Nashville since you guys listen to a lot of good music,” Mateyunas said.
Continuing to build confidence as the show continued, Arcy Drive stripped it back to the sweeter, acoustic sounds of “Time Shrinks” — which is about not wanting your time with someone to end. This was a favorite moment for me, as it was a different side of the band but also a more vulnerable moment for the audience. However, this was quickly turned around towards the end of the show when Arcy Drive played “Wicked Styley,” which begins with more boppy dance moments and builds into dramatic pauses in the grungier vocals.
Both of these bands are contributing to a resurgence of 90s rock but each with their own twist. mercury is bringing back the early simplicity of 90s rock with a more independent, individualistic vibe that is layered with more narrative-focused lyrics. Meanwhile, Arcy Drive has added their own indie flair to the typical, more harrowing sounds of the electric guitar and intense vocals of the rock genre. As a whole, this concert showcased the range of both mercury and Arcy Drive in a way that makes me excited to see how they will continue building on the genre.
