When Throwing Muses and Now came to San Francisco to play The Chapel on April 20th, concert goers had no idea that they were in for a real treat. On an extremely rainy Monday, those who had tickets to Throwing Muses’ tour promoting their recently released 2025 album Moonlight Concessions were prepared to find shelter from the storm. All while introducing themselves to fresh tracks such as “Summer of Love” and “Drastic”, while also revisiting the classic staples like “Counting Backwards” and “Bright Yellow Gun”. But before they could grace the stage, openers Now were charged with starting off the night.
The three-piece band entered with each member looking as if they arrived by time machine each from a different decade. The drummer, Oli Lipton, looking almost uncanny to a late 1960s Keith Moon while simultaneously sporting a Keith Richards hair cut, arrived first on stage. Next was bassist Hannah Forrester, who arrived looking effortlessly cool in a piece that looked like she had to delve out liquor in an old western saloon at seven and play a rock show at eight. Finally, lead singer and guitarist William Smith comes clad in an ensemble that looks like it walked off a clothing rack in the 1970s and somehow landed in the 21st century. The band is cool, but not so high and mighty to ignore their supporters in the audience, proven with Forrester calling out to her mom in the crowd asking for an extra pick.
The set started with Smith beginning to strum on his guitar decorated with a single photo of Mama Cass. With songs that ended as abruptly as they started, Now crooned out tunes in a similar cadence to Buzzcocks frontman Pete Shelley, with their instrumental stylings sounding similar to early Cleaners from Venus records. Their set consisted of songs from their 2025 album Now Does the Trick, including their most popular hit “In Pathécolor”, a song fantasizing about the one and only Nancy Sinatra. With the end of their set, Now cleared the stage to make way for the main attraction: Throwing Muses.
Skipping pleasantries, frontwoman and lead guitarist Kristin Hersh immediately commanded the stage and crowd as if we were all part of one army performer and audience alike. Her set supported by intense drum playing, dramatic cello, excited bass plucking, and ominous guitar chords felt almost like going to battle, with Hersh conducting the war cry. The concert contained an air of intimacy, not just a closeness with Hersh and the audience, but with Hersh and her band. Drummer Fred Abong is her longtime partner and her son Dylan has risen up to the ranks of new Throwing Muses bassist. With this new lineup the band delivered an electric performance, one that reverberated amongst every single audience member. Hersh’s vocals, a sort of Marianne Faithfull-esque prophetic dream of a voice, held everyone in attendance captivated entirely. When the lights dimmed at nine p.m. for the start of the show Hersh cast a spell. By the time it was ten-thirty and she walked off the stage the spell had lifted…Nonetheless we all remained entranced.
Review by Ruby Labrie, photos by Genevieve Achee
