As the Downtown Boys took to the stage at Cafe Nine, Joey DeFrancesco, the band’s guitarist, removed his sequined blouse to reveal yet another sequined undershirt. His gold chain jumped with him as he hopped up and down.
Speaking in English and Spanish, DeFrancesco and front woman Victoria Ruiz started the set Friday night by calling out the Israeli state, a controversial topic even among the leftist circles of their fan base. Maybe it’s to be expected, though, from a band that called its first full album Full Communism, a record that drew praise from outlets ranging from the Washington Post to Rolling Stone when it dropped last year, not to mention the attention of a few government agencies.
The Downtown Boys formed in Providence in 2011, after DeFrancesco, originally of Windsor, Conn., spectacularly quit his job at the Renaissance Hotel, where Ruiz also worked. Cafe Nine’s show represented the kickoff of a tour of the eastern United States.
Commie ties may limit their mass appeal, but they have not kept music lovers away so far. Nor should they. The members of Downtown Boys get away with their lyrical dialectics because they are just that good. As creators of the feminist anthem “Monstro,” the band is also notable for its number of female fans, as punk commentators have long bemoaned the absence of women fans on the scene.
The band played tight without sacrificing hardcore tempos or ethos, even as the flurries of free jazz emanating from Adreinne Berry’s saxophone gave the group’s sound an interesting twist. Berry played her horn like a megaphone, with a raw emotion, certain precision, and righteous tone reminiscent of Coltrane. Mary Regalado, the band’s latest addition, kept a cool head on the bass. Norlan Olivo hammered away at his drum kit, even when the songs took on a more Latin feel, as though his arms were pistons. The Downtown Boys played two fluid encores for a shoulder-to-shoulder Cafe Nine crowd. Nobody got hurt, no flags were burned, the police kept to their routes, and all was well in the Elm City.
But it is not a proper Cafe Nine show unless the musicians find their way into the audience, and, indeed, earlier that night José Oyola waded into the crowd, draped in a Puerto Rican flag, serenading a few lucky fans. Oyola was accompanied by floutist Dylan McDonnell, who plays in Oyola’s full band, the Astronauts. Not having his ridiculously talented group behind him, however, showcased Oyola’s own considerable gifts.
Guerrilla Toss, another opener, played like an electronic orchestra trapped in a cellar wall.
“We’re Guerrilla Toss; we’re gonna rock, rock with us,” announced bassist Simon Hanes, seemingly the love child of Paul Simon and Flea.
“The future! It’s all right!” shrieked Kassie Carlson, whose every syllable deserved exclamation.
Carlson’s mannerisms and drummer Peter Negroponte’s Christmas lights lent Guerilla Toss’s set an aesthetic to match the disjointed, caustic elegance of their sound. In eddies of noise that verged on static, Ian Kovac’s synth and Arian Shaifee’s guitar played with a discipline that made every flail feel like modern dance.
