Last Friday night, up-and-coming singer-songwriter Peter McPoland put on a phenomenal performance at the Royale in Boston with support from Dublin-based group, DUG.
McPoland and his bandmates set the scene for the evening with warm dim lighting and a quartet version of his song “Dead Air”, making for a very intimate feel for fans. Next up we got to hear some tracks off of his latest album “Big Lucky,” which was released in September of last year.
Before performing one of his most popular songs, “Shit Show”, the young artist gave us a glimpse into its beginning. McPoland recalled being home in Bristol, RI, staring at the gym carpet while doing the chest fly machine and listening to Vampire Weekend. He explained that in this moment he realized he was hungry for more and knew he wanted a change that would bring him more growth in the music industry.
During another lull in the set, McPoland gave his father, who was in the audience, a shout out for the large impact he had on his music career, reminiscing about the days they would play as a family in their house in Texas. It’s moments like these that add to fans’ admiration of McPoland and his realness.
Fans were also excited to hear two of his biggest hits, one being “Romeo & Juliet” which landed him over one million views on Tik Tok back in 2021. The later, “Digital Silence”, was released in 2023, but still proved to be a fan-favorite as it had the crowd on their feet dancing and jumping along to the fast-paced guitar riffs and catchy lyrics about how the digital world has taken over many aspects of our lives.
Before the last song of their set, McPoland claimed “no more fake encores,” telling the fans that they in fact had one more track to play and would not be leaving the stage before performing “A Place Like This” off of his album “Friend.” As one final reminder of the kind of artist he is, McPoland made sure that fans lucky enough to grab a setlist at the end of the show got a surprise when they found they had been signed by the entire band.
Boston’s performance made it clear that the same hunger he felt staring at that Rhode Island gym floor is still driving him today, and we can’t wait to see what’s next. For tickets to the “Big Lucky Tour,” visit https://www.petermcpoland.com/tour
