PLAYGROUND BOSTON

This is definitely a match made in heaven. The Pill, happening every Friday at Great Scott, is easily one of the biggest club nights in Boston, perfectly situated in the heart of Allston to cater to the indie crowd that calls Rock City their home. They’ve won The Phoenix’s “Best Dance Night” pretty much every year for the past century or so, and show no signs of slowing down (OK OK fine, so they’ve only been around for 5 years, not centuries). DJs Ken and Michael V spin Britpop, Indie Pop, New Wave, and just about anything else you can shake your ass to. This week The Pill will be featuring PGB Favorites (and former Track Of The Week honorees) Conservative Man, an edgy synth-pop outfit based somewhere between Boston, Philly, New Hampshire, and The Future. CM is an absolutely perfect fit for The Pill, as Allston’s finest are about to find out.

The Pill will be doing something a little different this weekend. In homage to the 30th anniversary of Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis’ suicide, the entire night will be done up tribute-style. The DJs will be mixing in tracks from Joy Division, Warsaw, and New Order all night (JD predecessor and successor, respectively). Videodrome will be on hand, showcasing a Joy Division documentary and the “Closer” biopic, as well as plenty of other visual stimulants. To top it off, Conservative Man will have a few Joy Division covers sprinkled in throughout their set. Which covers? Why don’t you find out for yourself! Ian McCarthy, The Conservative Man himself, has recorded three covers and made them available for free download! (OK OK sure, call me out again. The three covers are “Transmission,” “She’s Lost Control,” and “Digital”) Check out McCarthy’s version of “Digital,” which was actually the last Joy Division song ever played live, as the band closed out their set with it on the final show before Curtis’ death.

Conservative Man (covering Joy Division) – “Digital”

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Download the 3-song Conservative Man Joy Division EP FREE!

Friday, May 21st – 10pm – 21+ – $5

Great Scott, 1222 Comm Ave, Allston

Conservative Man

Videodrome

The Pill

Great Scott

The outpouring of support for the victims of the disaster in Haiti from the veterans of the local Boston music scene has certainly been impressive, but there’s always more that can be done. To this effect, Jillian of One in a Million Media has put together a benefit show tomorrow night at the Middle East Downstairs featuring an outstanding lineup of bands, DJs, prizes, and more! Aloud, The Lights Out, and You Can Be A Wesley are all PGB favorites that have received plenty of coverage on this site (Aloud and TLO are also previous Track of the Week honorees). Pretty & Nice’s indie pop is just about impossible not to dance to, as are the vast array of songs spun by some of the most well-known DJs in town. This will be a great opportunity to catch some incredible music, and all for a great cause too!

If some of the best rock & pop acts Boston has to offer aren’t enough for you, there’s plenty more happening at this event. Several local businesses have donated some amazing prizes to be raffled off to raise additional funds for the relief effort, including Ace Ticket, Anna’s Taqueria, Rescue, and The Alter Eco. We’re talking tickets, gift certificates, merch, and more! Also, Special Ed & Charlie, formerly of WFNX’s Sandbox but now operating independently as The Empire, will be recording a podcast throughout the night. PGB always supports charitable benefit concerts, especially for such a great cause. It’s a lot easier to be so supportive, though, when a benefit is as packed with awesome-ness as this one. Rock out, dance, win prizes, party – but feel good about it because you’re helping out those in need! That’s what we call a good time – see you there.

• 7:30 – Doors
• 8:00 – 8:30 Michael V
• 8:45 – 9:15 Aloud
• 9:30 – 10:00 The Lights Out
• 10:15 – 10:30 Pretty & Nice
• 10:45 – 11:15 You Can Be A Wesley
• 11:30 – 12:00 Damien Paul
• 12:00 – 12:30 Repeat Offenders

Aloud

The Lights Out

You Can Be A Wesley

Pretty & Nice

DJs Michael V / Repeat Offenders / Damien Paul

Gillian Bowling Photography

The Empire

One in a Million Media

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