Coming from San Francisco, California, Thee Oh Sees packed up and hit the road for their 2022 tour, and I was lucky enough to attend their show at the Roseland Theater in Portland. As a general rule of thumb, when Thee Oh Sees play in a city near you, you go. It’s simply not an option to miss these psych legends.
Pinning down the genre of this band is no easy task. You could add any musical adverb before rock, and you’d probably be right. Psych, sludge, indie, noise, punk, garage. They do it all. I had seen Thee Oh Sees almost exactly a year prior. And this time with the support of Automatic, a female-led synth-pop trio, it was sure to be a night of ear-ripping orchestra synths and mosh pits at the Roseland Theater up in Portland.
I knew this show would be loud, so I planned on wearing my earplugs. I had them in my car in their black cylindrical case, eyeing them all day and urging myself to remember to bring them. Well, you guessed it. I forgot to bring them into the show. But what’s seeing an Oh Sees show without your ears ringing by the end?
To get the night started, Automatic took the stage and delivered an impressive performance as expected. The trio, consisting of drums, synth and bass combined into a sexy soundscape of 80s pop with a tablespoon of dreamy punk vocal delivery.
Los Angeles natives, Automatic, have been on the rise in the indie rock world for the past couple of years — and for good reason. The band released their sophomore album “Excess” in June. On its new record, the band journeys further into the catchy world of synth-pop, honing in on what it does best. Tight drum beats, ear-catching synth leads and driving bass. As Rush set the standard, sometimes all you need is three people. Like a cringy motivational quote you’d see on your mom’s Facebook, simple is better. Performing before Thee Oh Sees, Automatic served as the perfect downer before the stimulant.
Thee Oh Sees are a no-bullshit band. The members took the stage to set up their instruments and get dialed in. No grand entrance was present or necessary. With a blink of an eye and a quick “Thank you, Portland” from John Dwyer, the band went from setting up their gear to an ear-shredding start to the show within seconds. And it was loud –– very loud.
If you’re reading this, I’d imagine you’ve been to a handful of concerts. You may think you know what loud means, but let me tell you, you don’t. Once you’ve seen Thee Oh Sees live, you’ll be happy your ears popped. The 47-year-old John Dwyer leads Thee Oh Sees like he’s in his 20s, performing his heart out trying to sign a record deal. Dwyer’s guitar cranked up to 10, two drummers front and center, a bass that rattled the building and a humble keyboard player sending you ear-piercing riffs on keys; oh it was beautiful. The man absolutely rips. You can’t help getting older, but you don’t have to get old. There’s another Facebook quote for you.
Pulling from their extensive catalog of 26 studio albums, Thee Oh Sees have no shortage of material. As every song’s first blaring guitar chords sounded, the crowd would roar, recognizing each cut. The touring of their new album, “A Foul Form,” an intimidating fuzzed-out punk record released in August, meant that mosh pits were certainly welcomed, as was stage diving.
Throughout the show — without exaggeration —there were at least 100 people or more who made their way to the stage, climbed up and jumped off. The band didn’t seem to mind each fan seeking their short moment of fame and exhilaration. While some fans were caught by the crowd and found their way to a soft landing, a majority jumped into the crowd only to get a mouthful of the Roseland flooring. Welcome to an Oh Sees show.
A show of this caliber only comes around so often. The next time Thee Oh Sees are within a 100 mile radius, get in your car and go.
