The crowd at Sonia in Cambridge, MA on Wednesday night was there for Barns Courtney. The merch line nearly out the door made that clear. But by the time Belle & Chain wrapped their opening set, the room had been given a reason to remember the name on the bill above theirs.
The LA-based western glam duo came together through an unlikely chain of events. Spencer Grammer was stabbed in 2020 in New York City while trying to break up a fight, suffering lasting nerve damage in her right hand. As part of her recovery, she was encouraged to pick up the guitar, and by 2024 she had started writing songs as a way to process the trauma and rebuild confidence. Davis IL entered the picture at his annual Highland Park Hellbender party, where he heard Grammer’s songwriting and, in what he calls a “Cinderella moment,” joined full-time as co-writer, guitarist, and keys player. The two have been building Belle & Chain ever since, touring the US, UK, and Europe in 2025 before linking up with Barns Courtney for this current run.
None of that backstory felt heavy on Tuesday night. Grammer has an easy, immediate rapport with an audience that a lot of more seasoned artists never quite find, and her voice fits the band’s wide-open sound perfectly. Davis IL is a monster on guitar, and together the two filled Sonia in a way that defied just how early they are in this project.
The set included their debut single “Don’t You Worry Babe,” a gentle introduction to what Belle & Chain are building, alongside a new track called “No Friends in LA,” drawn from Grammer’s own experience relocating from New York and starting from scratch. The personal details landed. A stripped-down cover of “Cobra” by Geese rounded out the highlights, with Grammer getting a laugh from the crowd by acknowledging that her TikTok had been flooded lately with videos insisting Geese are industry plants. The song resonated with her anyway, and the cover showed her vocal range.
Grammer is widely known as the voice of Summer Smith on “Rick and Morty,” but Belle & Chain makes clear she’s operating well beyond that. A debut EP is due this summer, and with Barns Courtney dates continuing through May, the band is putting in the road time to back it up.Â
The whole room may have been wearing Barns Courtney merch, but Sonia on a Wednesday night in April felt like one of the last small rooms Belle & Chain will be playing for a while.
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Nathan Smith is a Providence-based music photographer and journalist focusing on capturing the special moments and unfiltered magic of live performances. Whether he’s shooting established artists at sold-out TD Garden shows or documenting the rise of emerging local bands, his goal is the same: to pull viewers directly into the heart of the moment.
His writing spotlights rising artists and local scenes, with a focus on telling the stories that often get overlooked. A lifelong music fan and musician himself, Nathan approaches interviews and portraits as conversations rather than transactions, building trust with artists so their genuine personalities can shine through. Whether he’s backstage, in the photo pit, or at home in front of the keyboard, he brings the same curiosity and care to every assignment.
Outside of his press work with Juice Box Press, Nathan works regularly as a photographer with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, as well as numerous bands in the Boston and Providence area. Nathan also plays violin with a local orchestra, follows Celtics basketball almost religiously, and is an avid fantasy reader.