Concert Review: Ratboys (Motorco Music Hall)

BY CHRIS HOCKER

On Sunday night, Chicago indie rock band Ratboys brought their When the Sun Explodes tour to a sold-out Motorco Music Hall in Durham, which marked their first visit to the venue in eight years, back when they were opening for Foxing.

Ratboys--singer/lyricist/guitarist Julia Steiner, lead guitarist David Sagan, drummer Marcus Nuccio, and bassist Sean Neumann--are touring their latest album, Singin' To An Empty Chair, which was released on February 6th. Singin' is their sixth album, and also their best.

Ratboys, along with touring steel guitarist Andy Krull, hit the stage last night shortly after 9:00 PM. They opened up the night with four songs off the new album, including one of our favorite songs of 2026, "Penny In The Lake." Along the way, fans were treated to fan favorites like "Black Earth, WI" and "Go Outside," deep cut "Charles Bernstein" from their debut album AOID, and a whopping ten tracks off of Singin' To An Empty Chair (only "At Peace In The Hundred Acre Woods" was omitted from the set).

The band sounded great. While I stayed up front to photograph the band's first three songs, I moved to the back of the venue for the rest of the show. From there, I could see the fans swaying, shouting, clapping, and enjoying every moment of the show. If you're a fan of Ratboys, and especially a fan of Singin' To An Empty Chair, they're playing in Asheville tonight, followed by Atlanta and Nashville dates. Do yourself a favor and check them out!

SET LIST
"Open Up"
"Anywhere"
"Penny In The Lake"
"Know You Then"
"Morning Zoo"
"It's Alive!"
"Strange Love"
"Light Night Mountains All That"
"Charles Bernstein"
"The World, So Madly"
"The Window"
"Just Want You To Know The Truth"
"What’s Right?"
"Burn It Down"
"Go Outside"
"Black Earth, WI"

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CHRIS HOCKER, Editor

Strange Carolinas started as a hobby for Chris Hocker who often dragged his family to offbeat detours on family vacations. Hocker decided to start photographing and writing about these roadside attractions and in June 2014, launched Strange Carolinas with a story on Myrtle Beach's KISS Coffeehouse. In addition to chronicling over 400 attractions across the Carolinas, Strange Carolinas has also become an impressive music blog.