Gloucester’s Main Street is about to get its groove back.
It’s been roughly three months since The Cut, a North Shore restaurant and music venue, temporarily shuttered, pressing pause on a live music calendar that had spanned everything from Taylor Swift nights to dance-inspiring performances from artists like Los Lobos. In a post to social media last December, the venue’s staff described the period as a “winter break,” although some frequent guests feared that the closure could become permanent.
Those fears will vanish this Friday, as the venue reopens with a performance from Lez Zeppelin, an all-women tribute to the English rock icons who performed at The Cut last fall. It’s the band’s second visit to The Cut by design. Owner Tom O’Grady says the winter break helped him evaluate the venue’s strengths and trends in attendance, and going forward, he plans to book shows that are more catered to the North Shore’s interests. That means bringing back artists with a successful track record at The Cut (like Lez Zeppelin), as well as a boost in performances from comedians, heavier rock acts, and tribute groups.
Following Friday night’s reopening, the next April shows are a sold-out visit from English post-punk band Gang of Four (who also packed their 2024 performance at The Cut) and an evening with legendary turntablist DJ Logic and hip-hop blues act G. Love.
Advertisement
“I think we’ve got a better gauge on it this year — what resonates and what might not,” says O’Grady. “It was a hard decision [to take a break], but I think we’re gonna be much stronger and much more able to play to our strengths, and just give more to the community.”
Advertisement
O’Grady also hopes to book more dance nights and bands that will appeal to guests in their 30s. Music in the mellow singer-songwriter vein, however, will be scaled back due to factors like a history of lower attendance at those shows and the challenge of creating a cozier, intimate atmosphere in the 500-person space. The shift means the In Bloom Listening Series — a locally-focused show series that’s previously featured Massachusetts artists like Kimaya Diggs, Jake Swamp and The Pine, and Grace Givertz — will not return. (Although O’Grady did say he “might look at something similar” in the future.)
“Being in a secondary market, you can’t be [like] a jazz club in New York City, where there’s a big enough population you can just constantly draw on one genre,” O’Grady explains. “We want to be diverse, and lean into what’s been popular here in the past, but have something for everyone.”
But the most noticeable change within The Cut is on guests’ plates, not the stage. During the winter break, O’Grady decided to look for a business owner with culinary experience who could lease and run the restaurant component of The Cut. As he searches for someone who will be the right fit long-term, The Cut will welcome pop-ups from local eateries on show nights, moving the business toward a “fast casual” atmosphere.
Advertisement
In lieu of table service, guests can order food via a QR code. When their order is ready, they’ll receive a text directing them to The Cut’s “takeout window,” where they can pick up their dinner and seat themselves at the bar or one of the venue’s tables. This Friday, for instance, Rockport restaurant Little Sister will be serving up a small menu of burgers, sandwiches, and fish and chips.
Food will only be available on show nights, although guests don’t need to have a ticket to stop in for a quick bite. To match the more laid-back atmosphere, O’Grady has also added pool tables and video games to The Cut’s layout.
“There’s a lot of entertainment venues that do fast casual,” he says. “You see a lot of it too in California and Chicago. … I think it’ll be high-energy, and easy on the pocketbook.”
GIG GUIDE
At the House of Blues on Friday, Boston-born artist Poppy revs her jagged fusion of pop and metal to support her November record “Negative Spaces.” Utah’s The Used kick off a trio of anniversary shows celebrating their 25th year together on Wednesday, and continue the milestone three-peat at the venue next Friday and Saturday.
On Friday, the Agganis Arena welcomes J Balvin’s “Back to the Rayo” tour. The performance is a triumphant return to Boston for the Colombian reggaeton star, who was supposed to headline TD Garden in 2022, but was forced to cancel his “José” tour due to COVID-related production challenges.
Advertisement
On the heels of his new album “IRON BOY,” Ghanaian rapper and singer Black Sherif continues a brief jaunt across the US at The Sinclair on Saturday; husband-and-wife Americana duo The War And Treaty visit the following night with cuts from “Plus One,” their 18-track Valentine’s Day album. Portland, Maine, brothers 12/OC continue the country tunes — like their new single “Starts with Her” — on Thursday.
The Rockwell’s spotlight-worthy selection of indie rock includes a Sunday bill featuring blistering Chicago quartet Babe Report and Boston acts Bus Crush and Lady Pills; on Tuesday, The Ophelias soften the venue’s sound with art-rock from their record “Spring Grove.”
Deftones’s alt-metal rattles TD Garden on Tuesday with support from The Mars Volta and Georgetown, Mass., band Fleshwater. Australia’s dance-pop powerhouse Kylie Minogue gleans shimmering cuts from her albums “Tension” and “Tension II” at the arena on Wednesday on her first tour of the United States since 2011.
The Yardbirds make two stops in Massachusetts this week on their spring tour of the Eastern United States: a City Winery show on Wednesday, followed by a performance at Fall River’s Narrows Center for the Arts on Thursday. The legendary English band — which launched the trajectories of guitarists Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, and Jeff Beck — still includes founding member Jim McCarty.
Advertisement
NOW SPINNING
Djo, “The Crux.” If you can suspend disbelief, there’s a song on Djo’s third album that could pass for a cut from The Cars’ debut album — and another whose cheer sounds straight out of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” “Gap Tooth Smile” and “Charlie’s Garden” are two of the new gems from Newburyport-born artist (and yes, “Stranger Things” actor) Joe Keery, who follows his viral hit “End of Beginning” with songs that yo-yo between retro rock and modern psychedelia.
Lily Seabird, “Trash Mountain.” On her third LP, Vermont singer-songwriter Lily Seabird distills hazy summers into heart-swelling alt-country. In the wake of a dear friend’s death, “Trash Mountain” is Seabird’s reaction to the insurmountable nature of grief — though she never stops trudging up the heap, one folk-twinged tune at a time.
The Ophelias, “Spring Grove.” If The Ophelias’ self-proclaimed genre of “nature punk” sounds beguiling, think of it as a strings-assisted renewal of rock at large. On their fourth record, the Cincinnati band braids downcast melodies with layers of plush violin to create the flower bed that is “Spring Grove.” A close listen reveals harmonies that include Julien Baker, who also produced the album.
BONUS TRACK
Chadwick Stokes brings his rock opera “1972” to the Somerville Theatre this Friday. Stokes, who fronts the Boston roots band Dispatch and releases music as a solo artist, also cofounded the nonprofit Calling All Crows with his wife; Friday’s event will serve as a benefit for the organization, which educates music fans and industry workers about women’s issues, such as sexual violence prevention.
Advertisement
Victoria Wasylak can be reached at vmwasylak@gmail.com. Follow her on Bluesky @VickiWasylak.bsky.social.