As the driving force behind Hurray For The Riff Raff, Alynda Segarra has spent the better part of two decades on a journey mining the American psyche and experience. This has brought Segarra through multiple musical stages that have always coincided with the trajectory of life in this crazy diverse and sometimes fucked up country. All of it is perhaps best encapsulated in the new album The Past Is Still Alive, a sprawling work that combines heady folk rock with dense lyricism that ascends to a literary realm. The narrative of this album – which touches on a myriad of topics ranging from trans rights to gun violence – has also managed to stir up even more fans for Hurray For The Riff Raff who are drawn to Segarra’s frequent focus on those pushed to the margins of society. This was on full display when Segarra brought their band to Portland, Oregon to kick off a West Coast tour in front of a sold-out audience on Thursday, March 28th.
Prior to the band hitting the stage, much of the crowd eagerly swarmed up close to give the seated venue the feel of a packed club. This was fitting as the band emerged in matching punk vests and opened with “Alibi,” a warm folk-rocker off the new album that came complete with a gritty guitar solo. Songs from The Past Is Still Alive would make up much of the setlist, and the band was clearly enjoying playing them live, injecting a healthy dose of enthusiasm into the reflective, slide guitar-accented Americana of “Buffalo” and Segarra delivering an emotionally strong performance of the potent energetic rock anthem “Hawkmoon,” introducing the latter as a “trans song” to huge applause. The older tune “RHODODENDRON” was a shoegazey groover with punk undertones before the band switched gears with the tender country song “Dynamo” which featured eloquent guitar work and the intimate, slow-building “Colossus of Roads.”
With each song, the band seemed to be building momentum, and when they reached the longtime favorite “The Body Electric” with its dark lyrics focusing on gender-based violence, the audience was bouncing up and down. Highlights from the second half included the lovely blues-driven rocker “Vetiver,” the slow and poignant “Hourglass,” the charming waltz “The World Is Dangerous,” and the grandiose set closer “Ogallala.” Oddly enough, the only low point in the night was when the band encored with a cover of the Pixies’ “Wave of Mutilation” that removed the teeth from the punk classic. This was quickly salvaged by “Pa’lante,” played in proggy and theatrical fashion with a big glam rock ending to conclude the performance on a high note.
Throughout their set, Hurray For The Riff Raff exhibited the hallmarks of an act that has evolved to a higher echelon of showmanship. For Segarra in particular – an artist who has always been morphing into new musical identities while managing to preserve their folk-activist authenticity – this means truly taking on the role of charismatic front person who can both serenade fans with heartfelt vocals and fully rock out. In Portland, the audience enjoyed every second of it, cheering the band on and giving enough positivity back that Segarra even appeared to tear up when thanking them. Hurray For The Riff Raff has long maintained a loyal and respectably sized fanbase, and Thursday’s performance made it clear that the band is ready and deserving to make it even larger.
