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Boston Globe

In Somerville, Somergloom's quest for ‘heavy' music soldiers on

Somergloom has been curating lineups of 'heavy' music since 2021, when the festival debuted at Boynton Yards in collaboration with ONCE Somerville. At the time, the lingering COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing regulations largely limited live music to outdoor performances. So founder and artistic director Stephen LoVerme leaned into the humid dregs of August, braided together references to 'Somerville' and 'Midsommar' (both the 2019 horror movie and the solstice celebration) and launched Somergloom as a summer event. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Somergloom has resurfaced every year since, and has gradually branched into a three-day, multi-venue affair. The festival launches its fifth edition this week, starting at Deep Cuts in Medford on Thursday, before moving to Somerville's Crystal Ballroom for performances on Friday and Saturday. Advertisement While rooted in Somerville, the festival gathers its titular gloom from a variety of music communities. In addition to appearances from Massachusetts groups such as Advertisement Vermont's LoVerme says he wants Somergloom to be 'synonymous' with underground heavy music in New England, although the festival's network runs deeper than just the Northeast. Pacific Northwest metal supergroup both anchored their current tours to the festival, and 'We're trying to cultivate this sense of community, not just in the Greater Boston area,' says LoVerme. 'You hear people talk about 'the metal community' or 'the hardcore community,' and it really is this community that's so much broader than any local scene.' The music itself is more complex than surface-level doom 'n' gloom, too. LoVerme notes that much of the material from this year's performers touches on pressing social issues like genocide, racism, misogyny, homophobia, and greed. Such distressing topics call for equally distressed tunes, and therein lies Somergloom's success to date. In addition to strengthening a network of similar music scenes and subgenres, the festival also offers artists and attendees a place to unabashedly air their anxieties and exasperation. Advertisement Because sometimes, nothing short of a scream or a sludgy guitar riff will get the job done. 'You're taking all that, and you're channeling it into making the most sonically punishing music that you possibly can,' LoVerme says. 'It's about catharsis.' GIG GUIDE Katy Perry performs at TD Garden this Friday. Nina Franova/Getty Slide guitar savant Advertisement Berklee grad and jazz bassist extraordinaire On Sunday, esperanza spalding visits the Shalin Liu Performance Center. Amy Harris/Amy Harris/Invision/AP Or for something different by the sea, Georgia's NOW SPINNING Chappell Roan , Chappell Roan pivots back to heavy-hearted balladry with her new single "The Subway." Ryan Lee Clemens Jon Batiste with Randy Newman , Advertisement KennyHoopla , KennyHoopla's new single 'orphan//" is a blitz of dance-rock. Brittany Young BONUS TRACK The Regent Theatre in Arlington goes full glam rock this weekend with a Victoria Wasylak can be reached at . Follow her on Bluesky @