Nov 143 min read

DEXTER & THE MOONROCKS with PRIMROSE and RED LEATHER at The Middle East in Cambridge, MA

Photos by: Joanna Gleason

Review by: Jean Senat Fleury

November 7, 2024 – As a professional photographer and a fan of live music I had heard good things about Dexter & The Moonrocks. I decided to go to see them at the Middle East nightclub on November 7, 2024. Instead of two groups, three bands were scheduled to take the stage that night: Primrose – Red Leather - Dexter & the Moonrocks.

The Middle East downstairs located in Central Square Cambridge has been around forever and has a good reputation for great concerts in Boston. Bigger than its downstairs sibling, this enduring rock venue features underground indie bands. This Thursday night, two days after the U.S. presidential and Congressional elections, the venue was packed to the grills with younger enthusiastic supporters. Going around the venue with my camera, one of the managers told me that many bands are playing here on their way up.

At 7:00 p.m. the show started with the first group Primrose entering the stage. The indie rock band formed in the great state of Maine, Portland, performed with full energy. The group composed of Camron Curnier – Gardy Converse – Jeremy Brogan was terrific. They played different songs that shaking up the audience such as Run Away – One Exception - Dream State – I Think it Could Hurt - Ignore – So Alive – Feelin’ Down - Afterworld – Pretty Girl – Ambitious Girl - Crawling through the Snow, That’s not the Big Dipper, New Age Cricket, etc.

At 8: 15 p.m. the second group Red Leather came on stage. The band gave an exceptional show under the leadership of his emblematic singer and guitarist Red Leather. Red Leather's music is described as a mix of rock, electronic music, and spoken soundbites. His debut album, Reno, released on November 17, 2023, tells the story of a vagabond on the run from the law, and features themes of casinos, cocaine, estranged families, and moral struggles.

At the Middle East, Mass, the country and rock singer-songwriter from Reno, Nevada, with a group of talented musicians enjoyed the audience.

“It’s an experimental ride that taps into true Nevada culture, and if you want to feel what Reno is really about, this is the musician to listen to.”

Red Leather Setlist

1. Walk Away

2. Down Bad

3. Unstoppable

4. Deathwish

5. Biggest little city

6. Pusherman

7. Poison

8. SOS

9. DAKOTA

10. Get out of my head

11. Hollywood

12. Sins

After a brief intermission, at 9:30 p.m. the headliner Dexter & The Moonrocks took the stage. A rock band from Abilene, Texas, Dexter and the Moonrocks at the Middle East nightclub deliver a unique Southern Alternative fusion lovingly dubbed “Western Space.” Inspired by artists ranging from Rainbow Kitten Surprise and Foo Fighters to Tyler Childers and Colder Wall, the self-proclaimed “sad space cowboys” have found a distinct niche, quickly piquing the interest of an incredible community of fans with their edgy take on southern rock.

Through Severance Records, Dexter & The Moonrocks with drummer Ryan Fox, guitarist Ryan Anderson, and bassist Ty Anderson released “Western Space Grunge,” an EP including the lead single “Sad in Carolina”, a rock track growing quickly at alternative radio.

“Coming from a town with only 700 people and regularly selling many tickets in cities all over the nation is insane,” says James Tuffs, the lead singer of the band. About the band’s popularity that continues to grow by reaching over 400k monthly listeners on Spotify and finding themselves booked at several major festivals this year, Tuffs adds: “We took a bet on ourselves, and it’s paying off immensely. We believed we had something special, and if we could just get people to pay attention they’d fall in love, and we did just that.”

“Beats the hell outta a pulling unit,” says bassist Ty Anderson (the former oil field operator).

“Grunge and country are honestly so similar,” says the drummer Ryan Fox. “Look at Johnny Cash’s cover of “Hurt” by Nine Inch Nails. Both speak to the oppressed and the depressed – country with twang and grunge with a bite. A pair of boots can mean cowboy or combat. We are huge fans of artists like Zach Bryan, Tyler Childers and Noah Kahan – and when you take that sound and plug it into amps with electric guitars; you get Dexter and the Moonrocks.”

Dexter and the Moonrocks Setlist