Ratboys, villagerrr fill up the recordBar for a best-of ‘26 ticket

3 hours ago

Alex Agueros,

Ratboys. // photo by Alex Agueros

While describing the members of Ratboys as “nice” is nearing meme-levels of exhaustion, compassion for animals certainly scores high on some barometer of kindness.

A career-spanning run in the middle of their March 25 set at recordBar naturally started with “Elvis is in the Freezer,” an ode to Ratboys lead Julia Steiner’s childhood cat, and represented the second track of the night deeply sympathetic to house pets.

Two songs into their performance, the bounce and enthusiasm among the sold-out crowd for Singin’ to an Empty Chair’s lead single “Anywhere”–a track from the perspective of Ratboys guitarist Dave Sagan’s family dog–demonstrated which album brought them out on a Wednesday night.

“I can’t relax now,” Steiner sang. “I can’t, you’re gone. But when you’re back, I’m going anywhere that you’re going.”

Ratboys inspired a crowded night at recordBar on the strength of their latest collection of indie rock earworms and alt-country jams, Singin’ to an Empty Chair.

After a long delay between Kansas City-area gigs–their March 2020 date at Riot Room was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic–some cuts from 2020’s Printer’s Devil and 2023’s The Window made their KC debut. The night’s first tracks off the latter, “Morning Zoo” and “It’s Alive!” neatly mapped the natural progression Ratboys have made from one excellent album to the next.

Swapping her Flying V Danelectro to go acoustic for the country harmonies on “Strange Love,” Steiner encouraged the crowd to imagine the song set in a “liminal space.” Her example? Night Inn off Interstate 70 in Sweet Springs – just behind the Casey’s gas station on their drive from St. Louis.

“That’s where I’m headed for this one,” she said.

Ratboys. // photo by Alex Agueros

Mirroring the track sequence on Singin’, a feedback-heavy instrumental break on “Light Night Mountains All That” provided a sample of what to expect deeper into the set, such as the atmospheric guitar solo on “Just Want You to Know the Truth” and the urgent, driving crash out on “What’s Right?”

Despite its morbid origins, Steiner’s lore around “Elvis” provided a moment of levity ahead of the heaviest section of the night. Followed by the instantly catchy “The World, So Madly,” and a rare run of non-Singin’ tracks “The Window” and “I Go Out At Night,” Sagan took full advantage of the extra space to jam in a live setting, with blistering guitars playing providing emotional fire to the night’s most demanding performances.

Just days ahead of the third No Kings protest scheduled in Kansas City and across the United States, Steiner introduced “Burn it Down” with a message denouncing the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, decision-makers in the U.S. conflict with Iran, and “systems proven to be so evil they are beyond repair.”

“This song is a big fuck you to them,” Steiner said.

Ratboys returned after a brief break from an epic closer with “Go Outside” and “Black Earth,” the latter serving as jam-heavy encore where Sagan’s on-stage antics–toeing the edge of the stage and taking the solo to unpredictable places–had his band mates smiling to end the night.

villagerrr. // photo by Alex Agueros

Openers villagerrr worked a full room with soft and sweet alt-country slow burns, strategically managing the fuzz on their compositions in a way that reflected the restrained nature of their romantic slacker rock.

“Anybody else sweating?” asked villagerrr lead Mark Scott on an unseasonably warm evening for late March.

In a set peppered with new music, “Locket,” the lead single from their upcoming album Carousel may have received the warmest applause, even compared to favorites from 2024’s Tear Your Heart Out like “Neverrr Everrr” and “Runnin’ Round.” Those celebrations were slight compared to the crowd-pleaser that was their instrumental outro. Pushing levels into the red for the first time that evening and displaying an advanced grasp on the sounds and melodies familiar to their indie twang, bedroom pop scene, the Columbus, Ohio, act won over the punctual crowd at recordBar and put their upcoming release Carousel on album of the year watch alongside their tour mates.

All photos by Alex Agueros

Ratboys

Ratboys setlist
Open Up
Anywhere
Penny in the Lake
Know You Then
Morning Zoo
It’s Alive
Strange Love
Light Night Mountains All That
Elvis is in the Freezer
The World, So Madly
The Window
I Go Out At Night
Just Want You to Know the Truth
What’s Right?
Burn it Down
—
Go Outside
Black Earth, WI