On night one of the True/False Film Fest Feb. 28, the bar was electrified by distorted and melodic guitar riffs as indie rock artists Boreal Hills and Reggie Pearl took foot on stage.
Eastside Tavern — a low-key bar packed with a vibrant myriad of pop culture — kicked off the 2024 True/False Film Fest with a night of lively guitar performances and strong vocals from St. Louis-based artists and bands.
Boreal Hills, a rock band from St. Louis, began the show by quickly firing up the crowd — and quite literally the streets — of locals and college students, as they headbanged and danced around to the sound of explosive electric guitar riffs and lyrics from inside and outside the venue. As the night progressed, the tavern was packed with rock enthusiasts and the show dialed down to a heartfelt indie rock performance by Reggie Pearl.
After mingling with audience members, Pearl casually hopped on stage, looking comfortable as ever while wearing a fuzzy multi-colored sweater and a soft scarf made of enormous pom-poms. Their outfit definitely described her on-stage persona, a chill, low-key performance with nothing too crazy occurring. Just Pearl and their acoustic guitar.
As the crowd silenced, Pearl began their sit-down acoustic guitar performance accompanied by their boyfriend, Gabriel Lazaro, who added a jazz-like feeling to Pearl’s distinctive indie rock style with a melodic trumpet solo. With every strum and note, Pearl enunciated every lyric with dedication as their vocals left the audience in awe.
Close to the end of the set, Lazaro took over the acoustic guitar solo as Pearl brought more energy to the performance. Fans danced the night away above colorful strobing lights, singing along with Pearl’s upbeat, heartfelt lyrics. As their set came to an end, the atmosphere became charged with waves of applause and loud cheers throughout the venue, making Pearl the star of the night.
Before their set, I had just recently come across Pearl’s music and became obsessed. The majority of their music isn’t something you can casually listen to, every song tells a profound story. Pearl’s lyrics hit deep when you truly take in every lyric and form a sense of connection with them.
As an avid poetry lover, I am a big fan of Pearl’s song “Ode to Neptune,” where they use the stars and the ocean as a metaphor to express their wishes to the universe about finding someone who will like them for who they are — yet “the stars don’t hear them.”
In today’s society, it is an understatement to say you can easily find a person who will like you for your true, authentic self. As a woman, this is something I could relate to amongst the amount of people who look at women as nothing but an object. There’s always hope for finding someone genuine, but it is never a guarantee.
Through their unique vocal chords and instrumentals, Pearl expresses feelings of vulnerability through metaphoric, poetic lyrics. The entirety of their discography is something that I believe we can all resonate with from feelings of pain, love, toxicity and high ideals.
During their live set, it wasn’t a surprise to see Pearl’s incredible vocals touch the room. Everything fit perfectly into Pearl’s performance. They used minimal instruments throughout the whole performance — an acoustic guitar and trumpet — but this made it so you could really focus on their raw vocals and emotion in their performance. It’s more personal when you are focused on one subject on the stage rather than a bunch of others. This is what I loved about their show —the attention was solely based on Pearl and her passion for music–you can just tell by the emotion in Pearl’s face when they sing.
Although the venue was a bit crowded, Pearl facilitated comfort amongst an immensity of people. The crowd shared the same energy and vibes with Pearl all in the middle of it. Overall, they portray a raw, authentic performance that sets the stage for guaranteed success in the music industry.
Edited by Alex Goldstein | agoldstein@themaneater.com
Copy edited by Grace Knight | gknight@themaneater.com
Edited by Scout Hudson | shudson@themaneater.com