Conditions weren’t the best for Austin garage rockers, The Strange Boys. The rain had been falling hard from the end of Harlem’s set and all through set up. So it was kind of a relief to hear twangy guitar and mumbled vocals of the Boys. What’s more, the group’s new addition of vocalist/saxophonist Jenna Thornhill from the as-of-3:30pm disbanded Mika Miko was a perfect accompaniment to Ryan Sambol’s croon, with sax adding even more R&B cred to their sound. Going through a plethora of new material, perhaps a few picks that might end up on the Strange Boys’ forthcoming album, Be Brave to be released jointly on Rough Trade and In The Red in early 2010, the now sextet sounded bigger than their usual swaggering selves. The new music seemed to build on the foundation of …And Girls Club and then some, working between soul inspired slower numbers to bubbly garage/pop akin to that of the Willowz. While the rain poured hard, umbrellas crowded the view to the stage, but as Sambol declared: “We’re going to try and bring a little sunshine.” Though the celestial body never peaked through the overcast skies, the Boys certainly did.
