After nearly a decade of silence, Trophy Lungs are reuniting to play a single show in Boston on Friday, May 2nd, marking the 40th anniversary of Allston’s O’Brien’s Pub—a venue deeply tied to the band’s origins.
The event will also bring back longtime local staples Choke Up, The New Warden, and Depressors for a one-night celebration of a place many in the Boston punk scene still consider home.
Trophy Lungs originally formed in 2012 at the now-closed Sound Museum, built off covers of Dillinger Four, Dear Landlord, and Dead To Me before quickly shifting to writing their own material. Their first shows took place at O’Brien’s, where they found not only a reliable stage but a close-knit community led by local promoter Ryan Agate.
“O’Brien’s might not look like much with the lights on but this place became our home,” says Kevin, recalling the early years of the band. “You’d show up to load in and see Daryl and Ryan behind the bar, you’d see Josh setting up mics on stage and you’d just know it was going to be a big night.”
The band’s debut LP Day Jobs came out in 2015, followed by touring and a final European run before disbanding when drummer Brenden relocated to Austin. Their final show also took place at O’Brien’s.
Now, with Brenden back in Massachusetts and a spontaneous reunion at Sum Studios in Malden behind them, the idea of a comeback only became real when Agate reached out. He asked them to be part of a lineup made up of four bands that shaped his years at O’Brien’s. “We obviously couldn’t say no,” Kevin says.
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Joining them are Choke Up—playing their first live set in two years—The New Warden, who shared both Trophy Lungs’ first and last show, and Depressors, a band they’ve never played with until now.
Although online tickets are currently sold out, the band hopes more will be released closer to the date. For now, this is the only confirmed show, but Trophy Lungs have hinted at the possibility of working on new material.
“There would be no Trophy Lungs without O’Brien’s and there would be no Trophy Lungs without Ryan Agate,” Kevin says. “Having the privilege to celebrate the both of them one more time with some of our best friends means the world to us.”
