SURF CURSE - LIVE REVIEW
September, 23rd, 2023. The final night of the Starcatcher World Tour’s US leg for rock band Greta Van Fleet. The group has grown exponentially fast in the last two years and this time around, they’ve brought on Surf Curse as their opening act.
And oh, what a damn opening act they are.
On Saturday night, the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in downtown Cleveland was filled with eager (and unsuspecting) fans; all of them dressed to a T. The clock hit 7:30 and the lights dimmed, welcoming Surf Curse to the stage for one last time. The band, consisting of Nick Rattigan (drums, vox), Jacob Rubeck (lead guitar), Henry Dillon (bass), and Noah Kholl (rhythm guitar) comes out of Reno, Nevada and their amalgamation of surf, rock, punk, and metal elements is what helped them reach this opportunity to play in arenas such as Madison Square Garden, Little Caesars Arena, and many more. Their newest album, Magic Hour, has garnered them a plethora of new fans and I’m sure after Cleveland’s show, they got even more.
Opening with Arrow, Surf Curse came in as a fiery ball of noise and talent. Even from my seats in the nosebleeds, concertgoers around me were blown away by the sheer tenacity the four piece had. As a long-time fan, I ate up every second and it was extremely refreshing to see new comers doing the same. As the band played through their 11 song set, including oldies such as Heathers and new tracks like Sugar, the people next to me would not shut up about how much this group rocked. One man in particular seemed to be yelling “I fucking LOVE this band” after nearly every song, sometimes even before it was through. The couple behind me even left briefly to buy a CD from the merch counter after they left the stage and that to me, was what opening acts should be all about: warming up the crowd and spreading the word of smaller artists people may not have otherwise heard of.
I can not go into enough detail to explain how intensely killer Surf Curse’s set was; and to think, their headline shows are even better (from what I’ve heard)! I’ve been listening to this band (and Nick’s solo project) since I was thirteen and now I can finally say I’ve seen them live and it exceeded all expectations.
Check out Surf Curse's official site for merch, tour dates, and more here!
Listen to the band's newest album, Magic Hour, here on Spotify.