Born Without Bones In Review

Born Without Bones is celebrating the tenth anniversary of their debut album, Baby, with a tour across the US. The Massachusetts-based band is being accompanied by Lady Denim and various local openers, and last Wednesday performed in Oklahoma City for the first time. 

Local band SUNFO is no stranger to OKC, having carved out a space for themselves since their formation in late 2019. They performed the first set of the night, opening the show with explosive energy and shaking the ground with standout tracks like “Uber Driver Ninja Warrior” and “SHREDGAR.” The group on the road with BWB—Lady Denim—is bursting with charisma: the kind of group that you can tell truly loves to perform. They looked right at home on stage, and lit up the room with a colorful selection of songs from debut single “Pipe Dream” to a comedic country performance.

In the wake of our two openers, the room was buzzing in anticipation for Born Without Bones to take the stage. They opened with a few tracks from their most recent album Dancer, which was followed by a front to back playthrough of Baby. Songs like “Cheap Fun” and “Cancelled” had us jumping and screaming our hearts out right alongside the band, while “Stone” was a powerful performance that demanded not only to be seen, but to be felt. The show ended with a handful of song requests, each from a different album. The blend of new and old, fun and emotional tracks culminated in a night that was rich with passion, from the concertgoers fully immersed in the experience to the artists that made it all possible.

It was in 2016 that I first heard a song by BWB, three years after its release. “Baby” is the final track on the similarly titled album, and still my personal favorite. Hearing “Baby” will never get old, but it was impossibly better live. Lead singer Scott Ayotte’s raw vocals pour straight from a bleeding heart, with lyrics chock-full of anguish and desperation that translated beautifully into an unforgettable performance. While nothing can compare to that experience, the re-recorded version that was released in 2021 on their EP Pictures of the Sun is about as good as it gets. I wholeheartedly believe that Baby is a masterpiece of an album, and well worth a listen if you’ve never had the pleasure of doing so.

You can listen to the album’s first track below:

While the second leg of their tour ended last week with a show in Nashville, Born Without Bones will be hitting the road again in December to wrap up the anniversary celebrations. They’ll be joined by The Vaughns for six straight nights of shows in the Northeastern US, and are sure to leave a lasting impression on each of those lucky enough to attend.