Sons Of Arrakis & Sundrifter Live 5/16/25
Live at The Widowmaker Brewery in Brighton , Massachusetts USA *May 16th 2025*
This past Friday night, I went to a show at the Widowmaker Brewery in Brighton, Massachusetts. The night started off a little rough because I drove to the wrong location (in Braintree). I ended missing the opening band but luckily arrived in Brighton, just as Sundrifter was setting up. The Widowmaker Brewery has two locations and this is the first time that they have hosted a show at the Brighton location. It’s definitely a smaller venue than Braintree but it worked out just fine. When I arrived at the show, the stage was right there once you walked in the front door. I positioned myself right in the front and got ready for the excellent Sundrifter to start their set.
SUNDRIFTER
I was lucky enough to just witness Sundrifter live two weeks prior in Manchester, New Hampshire (review here). This time, the three-piece band, consisting of Craig Peura on guitars and vocals, Paul Goughran on bass, and Patrick Queenan on drums, had a keyboard/synth set up too. Bassist Goughran would use it throughout their set as introductions before songs mostly. The band was on point, sound wise! They opened up with “Sons Of Belial” from their second album Visitations. It was awesome! Sundrifter sounded great and looked comfortable and confident playing, right from the opening track. The guitarist/vocalist Peura mentioned that he grew up just down the street from the club. The hometown heroes were in true form throughout their wonderful set. They were laying down the heavy psychedelic rock goodness that they deliver. “Lightworker” and “Sky Peoples Son” also from Visitations was played with the emotional and energetic sounds from the cosmos. If I’m not mistaken, Sundrifter might have performed some new material as well but I’m not positive. Their debut album, 2016’s Not Coming Back is one that I’m not familiar with so there’s a chance that they played a track from that one too. I was in a daze throughout and was in a semi-trance with their music. The final song was from 2024s An Earlier Time (review here). The first song from the record called “Limitless”, was a wonderful closer. I was pleased that the band played a different set from two weeks prior. They appeared more relaxed and radiant this time around, which constituted to a more vibrant and dynamic performance overall.
http://sundrifterband.com/home
https://sundrifter.bandcamp.com/music
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SONS OF ARRAKIS
Sons Of Arrakis from Montreal, Canada were the headliners of the night and the main reason I came to the show. The quartet features Frederic Couture on rhythm guitar and lead vocals, Francis Duchesne on lead guitar, Vick Trigger on bass, and Mathieu Racine on the drums. Their excellent second album Volume II (review here) came out last year and I was very impressed with their sound. Their debut, 2022’s Volume I is equally amazing. The band played an incredible mix from both releases, opening up with “Temple Of The Desert” from their debut. They have a powerful and hard rocking sound that is awesome! The excellent guitar harmonies and soaring vocals are fantastic. “Black Mirror” was next and was also from the Volume I record. They then played a slew of tracks from 2024’s Volume II, including “Burn Into Blaze”, “Blood For Blood”, “High Handed Enemy”, “Scattering”, “Beyond The Screen Of Illusion”, and “Interlude II”. The energy was high and the sound was amazing! Sons Of Arrakis was crushing throughout their ten song set. “Omniscient Messiah” and “Lonesome Preacher” finished things off as the music came to a close. The band was super friendly and appreciative of the feedback from the audience and really impressed me with their live performance and sound. I chatted with singer/guitarist Frederic Couture a bit as I bought a t-shirt and thanked him for making the long trip from Canada.
Nice write up on the brewery show you attended. SOA is amazing – fortunate to have seen them twice in the past year. Looking forward to catching Sundrifter at Ripplefest this fall.
Thank you, I appreciate that! Yes, I was very impressed with Sons Of Arrakis and happy that I finally got to see them. I think you will enjoy Sundrifter a lot. They also bring it, in a live setting atmosphere.