BELLY

Fete Music Hall, Providence RI September 14, 2024

Belly is a band that feels close to my heart and I think a good part of that might have to do with the fact that they're from Rhode Island. There's some kinda kinship that comes with Rhode Islanders, despite the small size of the state, we make up for it in spirit (and weirdness, too). I have to be honest, I hold a small amount of resentment for not knowing about Belly sooner. Like, why didn't anyone tell me about Belly?? What was my single mother so busy with that she never found the time to sit me down with a discman and headphones and say, "Elle, your world is about to be rocked, and you might cry a little, but in a cathartic freeing way...." Too much to ask for, I know. Regardless, I found my way to Belly, and I hope this post coaxes others to find their way to Belly. 

Having established her talent and love for music early in high school, forming Throwing Muses with her stepsister, Kristin Hersh, and a brief stint in The Breeders, Tanya Donelly formed Belly in 1992, with brothers, Chris Gorman and Tom Gorman, on drums and guitar, respectively. For the first album, Star (1993), Fred Abong played bass, but his stint in the band was brief, allowing the space for one of the coolest bassists ever to join, Gail Greenwood. And thus, the band was fully formed and ready to kick ass.

I wasn't able to make it to any of their shows while they were on tour last year, so when I saw they were playing three shows in September, and one of those shows being in Providence, I think I actually jumped for joy. And then I immediately bought tickets for my sister, Caroline, and friend, SP. SP was new to Belly and listened to every Belly album in preparation for the show. I pridefully converted him to be quite the fan, and I have to say I'm very pleased with myself. He actually kept singing "Red" to me the other day at work! I think sharing music is my love language. 

Belly is another band that should be way bigger than they are. I both appreciate the exclusivity of meeting other Belly fans, but I also want to scream from the rooftop, "everyone please, go listen to King! And then go listen to Dove, and Star, and The Bees album too..." and yeah I think you get the point by now. Tanya Donelly literally sings like a bird. Her angelic voice mixed with sometimes haunting, almost creepy lyrics , like "Angel" on their first album Star (1993), and other times beautifully heart-wrenching like "The Bees" and "Silverfish" on King (1995). 

What really stood out to me seeing the band play live for the first time is how hard the music hits. I've watched just about every live performance of Belly I can find on the internet, but it truly doesn't compare to attending one of their shows. There's something so visceral about Belly, it makes me feel dreamy and wide-awake simultaneously-- the combination of Tanya’s heavenly voice and intense guitar playing, complimented by Gail's frolicky bass playing, Chris's dynamic drumming, and Tom's talent arranging. There is strength and power in the most gentle of songs, see "Full Moon, Empty Heart," and then there is humor and playfulness in others, like "Gepetto." 

The band began their set with "Low Red Moon," a song that begins explosively for the first seven (?) measures before Tanya melodically poses the question, "so what, you think this is usual?" The audience, full of incredibly seasoned fans, instantly recognized the first couple notes, and with the music, we exploded with jumps of excitement, cheers, and some gentle head-banging. This is what I mean when I say Belly goes hard. The crowd was an eclectic range of people, full of life-long Belly fans, kids with their parents (the kids were loving it), and pretty much anyone else in between. It’s nice to go to a show and see a variety of people— I think it’s a testament to the band’s appeal when they’re able to gather such a variety of fans.

Gail Greenwood is a star in her own right, jovially bouncing atop the stage as if the floor were a trampoline. She is energetic, captivating, and is definitely part of the reason I dream about owning a Rickenbacker.... (one day). There was definitely more than one person who would shout between songs "Gaiiii-YUUULLL, one more song!" in the most quintessential Rhode Island accent. The hecklers had a lasting impression with me and my friends, even months after the show, we’d shout “Gaaaiiiii-YUUUL” at one another. What’s even crazier is my sister and I met the culprits at the Gang of Four show in Gloucester at the end of October (where Gail played bass with the band.. UNREAL). My sister was holding down the fort while I went to make sure we were standing on the right side of the stage (Gang of Four’s bassist stands untraditionally stage right). When I returned Caroline was yapping it up with our new heckler friends, Mike and Joann. I want to note that they are both lifelong friends of Gail, and to not heckle bands and artists if you don’t know them like that. I also want to note, there will be a Gang of Fours post soon.

Mike, frontman of Neutral Nation.. aka one of Gail’s biggest hecklers

Joann, the Queen of Cluckingham Palace— and heckler!

Set List:

1. Low Red Moon

2. Super-Connected

3. King

4. Slow Dog

5. Red

6. Shiny One

7. Dusted

8. Gepetto

9. Human Child

10. Untitled & Unsung

11. Feed the Tree

Encore:

12. Seal My Seal

13. Suffer the Fools

14. Stay

Every song they played was full of life, so electrifying that you could feel the excitement in the audience. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been startled by the song “Red,” while listening to the CD in my car on full blast. I am fully aware this is a “me” problem because I listen to my music way too loud, and I still haven’t learned to anticipate the transition from the thoughtful “Seal My Fate” to the immediate drum bangs that begins “Red,” which is a song that actually makes me feel like I am astrally projecting into a dreamy new world. “Red! Red! Red!… ahhhhhhh.” Obviously “Super-Connected” stirred up the audience as Gail Greenwood played the instantly recognizable bass intro before Tanya begins, “On your third broken window…” before the guitar comes in and the whole song explodes.

“Dusted” is such an intense song balanced out with Tanya’s electrifying guitar slides that compliment that heavy bass which introduces the song, making it instantly recognizable. The lyrics “her hmm goes to your heart/ her hmm sticks in your head,” is so fucking intoxicating, hearing Tanya and Gail’s vocals together at that part is so gorgeous and intense.

I’ve watched Belly’s live performance of “Gepetto” from the Jon Stewart show like a million times. It’s such a fun performance, it’s lively and apparent how much fun they’re all having. I think what I love about them is their energy is so passionate and uninhibited, while remaining focused and even stoic. There’s some kind of reverence when it comes to Belly, even when they’re cracking jokes on stage and being silly. Watching them play “Gepetto” was so exciting, my face hurt from smiling. That song ended with Gail playfully spanking Tanya on the final bang on the drum, further adding to the childlike spirit that the song inspires. You can actually hear me and my sister audibly gasping in the video below— we fucking love Gepetto, ok?

When they started playing “Untitled & Unsung” my sister and I immediately looked at each other like holy shit!! We had bets on whether or not they’d play it, so hearing that sexy bass line and slow descension of chords had us absolutely stoked. The song is sultry and daring, and I’m so glad they played it. Tanya Donelly’s voice is so gorgeous. I can’t emphasize that enough if you don’t already know how beautifully she sings.

In addition to playing songs from Star and King the band played a couple songs from their most recent album Dove (2018). They played “Human Child” which seems to be the one that gets everyone a little teary-eyed as it captures the preciousness of life and the importance of leaning into the light, “I'm not here to save you I'm just tryna get you outside/ Get yourself out of your way and pull your head out of the shade.” They also played “Suffer the Fools” from that album during their three-part encore. Tanya Donelly and Gail Greenwood talk in depth about this album on the EarFuel Podcast and Tanya contributes what “Suffer the Fools” means to her. I highly recommend listening as I believe hearing first-hand from the artists can be the best way to understand their message.

Playing “Stay” as their final song in their encore was a perfect ending to the show. “Stay” is a song, it’s a slow and thoughtful song about love, but I wouldn’t call it a love song. What I’ve noticed with Belly is their songs often begin soft and almost gentle, and as the songs progress there is an eruption of sound and power: energetically, lyrically, and emotionally. Belly goes hard!!!

Belly is currently working on some new tunes and collaborating once again with The Parkington Sisters, known for their string instruments. I am very excited to hear what they've been working on and have no doubt that the songs will sound beautiful. Additionally, they will be playing at the Freezing Man Festival in Wisconsin in January, presented by Joey's Song, a non-profit organization raising money and awareness for epilepsy research. The festival is unique in that artists performing do not take a penny. Rather, they play for the sake of the cause, and I find that incredibly cool (and badass). Gail Greenwood was on the Joey’s Song podcast a month or two ago so I am also linking that because it’s such a great listen.

If you're going to listen to them be sure to check out their BandCamp! They have songs there that you won’t find anywhere else, and also, Tanya Donelly and Gail Greenwood have a song together on Tanya Donelly’s bandcamp, “Big Love Bends Time,” which is truly a beauty of a song. Additionally, linking Benny Sizzler’s bandcamp, Gail’s lifelong band— which totally rocks!!!