Boy Harsher Bring 'The Runner' to LA

Jae Matthews of Boy Harsher performing at the Belasco, LA by Jacob Alvarez and edited by Paige Strickland

SECOND SOLD OUT SHOW FOR DARK WAVE DUO AT THE BELASCO

Electronic group Boy Harsher, consisting of Jae Matthews and Augustus Muller, played their last show in LA of their “The Runner” tour on Wednesday night in downtown. My partner Paige went with some friends to their previous show at the same venue the night before, and we both went the following day, with something special scheduled to happen before the band took the stage. Paige is who introduced me to their music about a year ago with describing it as “music that makes you want to step on the necks of men.” Sounds about right.

I struck up a conversation with the band’s PR rep about a month before they were scheduled to play in Los Angeles, hoping to take photos of one of the shows. The rep got back to me with a penciled name on their list for press as well as an idea of making the band a special action figure to celebrate their short horror film, The Runner, of which they are touring the soundtrack. I thought the pairing was kismet and was sent a link to view the film as well. In retro 80s B-movie style, the film follows a mysterious woman with violent compulsions as she makes her way through a small town. I loved it, as it gave me the feeling of watching the various previews while being at a screening at the American Cinematheque. You can stream the film exclusively on the Shudder streaming service!

Augustus Muller and Jae Matthews of Boy Harsher holding “The Runner” action figure

From then on, I began work on a figure that resembled the antagonist of the movie. It was completed in a few weeks, and the band seemed to love it according to their rep. As the day of the show arrived, I was told that the band wanted to meet me as well as get a few photos of the figure. Paige and I showed up to the venue, and once inside, I was told to go back out to meet the band in the alley way to dodge much of the crowd who would have swarmed at the sight of the duo for autographs and such. It was so fitting, so we both eagerly walked to the back of the Belasco, where Muller introduced himself before Matthews came out shortly after. They both seemed excited and asked for our phones to take selfie videos on our Instagrams, showcasing the figure in all its glory. It was an awesome encounter for the band to take time before playing onstage to meet myself and my partner, but the cherry on top came when the band tried to return the figure. I hesitated and said, “it’s for you,” to which the band’s eyes lit up. They seemed to be shocked, but were heartfelt when I said I’d rather have the piece go to the band as opposed to my collection. Muller replied, “this is insane; we have our synths and now this will go next to it.” We said our goodbyes to let the band get to it as it was about an hour before they got on stage.

Jae Matthews of Boy Harsher performing at the Belasco, LA by Jacob Alvarez

We hung out inside while opener Troller got the crowd situated. I then made my way to the photo pit until the room went pitch black and Muller came onstage with heavy bass emitting from his gear. Matthews came out minutes later, beginning with tracks off the soundtrack to their film: “The Ride Home” and “Give Me a Reason.” Matthews danced around the stage as waves of fog bullets flowed through the audience, engulfing her as well. She let out high pitch shrieks into a police scanner device so they carried into the corners of the room, with the crowd matching her with excitement. She smiled into the crowd as Muller bobbed his head to his synth playing. The duo played through favorites “Fate” and “LA” while offering a delicately potent rendition of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game.” Boy Harsher put the nail in the coffin with popular track “Pain,” bringing fans to dance in their studs and platform boots. It was everything I wanted out of the night, and mentioned to the band that if they ever needed anything else, they knew where to find me. I appreciate the band more so now, and hope they show The Runner in a wider release.

PS: Check out our gallery of photos from the performance!

PS: Check out our gallery of photos from the performance!