I wanna be barely hanging on / When you make me lose control 

If pure joy was a sound it would be The Happy Fits. The Philadelphia by way of Pittstown, New Jersey quartet of Singer/cellist, Calvin Langman; drummer Luke Davis; and guitarists Nico Rose and Raina Mullen play the kind of music that demands to be seen live. And, as luck would have it, the quartet touched down at The Recher in Towson at the tail end of their Love Sick Tour.

I pride myself in getting to shows early, but even an hour before doors there was a substantial line leading from The Recher’s marquee around the block. Not having seen The Happy Fits before (but, of course, knowing of their very lively stage presence) I was quietly wondering what I might be getting myself into.

Any fears I might have had were quickly turned to that infectious excitement as the crowd seemed just as thrilled for opener BEL as for the headliner. Isabel Whelan, who goes by BEL, kicked off the night solo but for drummer, Alexa Schafer. The set, which started off unassumingly, got the crowd up and dancing near the end.

The Happy Fits jumped (literally) onto the stage as the Frankie Valli classic “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” played over the speakers. Seizing on the enthusiasm of the screaming fans, the band lost no time getting right into the fun with “Cruel Power” from the new record. Bouncing around the stage, as Langman bounced about inexplicably with the cello firmly strapped to his body while Rose and Mullen rocked those twin guitars in between vocal duties. 

I rarely see a band hitting their stride so early in a set, but The Happy Fits really did come out swinging with high energy, up tempo rockers that had this very enthusiastic crowd singing along at the top of their collective voice. 

A Happy Fits show is clearly not a spectator sport as it seemed everyone in the audience joined in on nearly every song, especially chanting along to “Achey Bones” refrain “See it all and say ‘ Who? Who?’”.

Over the past couple of years the band has gone through some monumental changes, including the leaving of one member and the adding of two guitarists who also share vocal duties. A perfect example of that change in dynamic is in songs like “Lovesick #1 (Misery),” where Mullen takes the lead.

And a lot of the new songs like “Cruel Power” and “I Think I Still Love You” have this power pop anthemic rock energy that seem as influenced by Cheap Trick as any contemporary peers.

At this point, it has to be said that The Recher put together some of the best lighting I’ve seen during this show. One song to the next, the combination lighting highlighted each song, making full use of the array of equipment lining the stage.

And you have to love a band that loves its fans. Talking a bit about the pains of wrapping up their current tour, Mullen asked the crowd, “Who here is lovesick and who wants to tell the room why they’re lovesick but please make it dramatic.” After someone in the crowd said they were lovesick after a friend had blocked them on all platforms the band launched into the blistering “Lovesick #1 (Misery).”

Although this was a high energy performance, It wasn’t all rock and pomp as The Happy Fits slowed things down for the beautiful “Superior,” but even that ended in a waves of distorted guitar near the end amidst the pitch perfect harmonies between Rose, Mullen, Langman, and Davis.

Listen to the recent single, “Love Sick #1 (Misery)” by The Happy Fits:

If that wasn’t enough, the band wrapped up their regular set with the swampy, foot-stomping “Grow Back” with everyone taking a role singing. That was followed up with the equally dirty “Mary” from their debut full-length, Concentrate.

The Happy Fits pulled out all the stops in what became a fun and sweaty show that hit all the right spots. Although the band has wrapped up their Love Sick Tour, I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for this band.

The setlist included:

Cruel Power
Everything You Do
She Wants Me (To Be Loved)
Achey Bones
I Still Think I Love You
Wild in Love
Dirty Imbecile
No Instructions
Lovesick #1 (Misery)
Get a Job
Superior
Cold Turkey
I Remember
So Alright, Cool, Whatever
Hold Me Down
Black Hole
Grow Back
Mary

Encore:
Do You See Me?
Heart of a Dancer
Too Late

Check out more photos of The Happy Fits rocking The Recher on May 1, 2026. All photos are copyright David LaMason:

And here are photos of BEL opening the evening at The Recher: