Photo by Laina Petrinec at Bottom of the Hill

Harry and the Potters wizard-rock band made a pit-stop off their brooms from Hogwarts to the Bottom of the Hill. The evening got started with three muggle opening bands: Flying Fish Cove, SOAR, and Giggle Party, but Giggle Party helped provide a platform of craziness to help the muggles (non-magic folk) transition into the world of magic. With a new prop or costume for every song, and even a prayer to the party gods, they used their silliness to involve each witch or wizard in the audience.

Giggle Party with a hat full of audience-held streamers

Dressed in white shirts with gold and burgundy striped ties tucked under grey sweaters (quite the standard for Hogwarts students), the Harry and the Potters trio put on a spectacular event that transcended fiction. Despite the costumes up on stage, or the people in the audience wearing cloaks or round frames, the most ironic part of this show was how wizard-rock could illuminate some banal wizarding world topics, sing them with punk angst, and make it feel like reality.

Harry & the Potters

Headbanging alongside my cloaked peers in the audience just felt so normal. With albums from 2003 to 2019, the variety, depth, and insight into a range of magic topics made this more of an event than some of the recent indie bands I’ve seen. Some of my favorite songs from the night discussed: the SPEW club Hermione started to save the house elves, how the economics of Olivander’s wand shop isn’t profitable, and the song “On the Importance of Media Literacy Under Authoritarian Rule” just really made me want to dance.

Harry & the Potters

The night hit its peak and had me feeling like I was riding on a hippogriff above the enchanted Blake Lake when a basilisk came out during the popular hit song “Save Ginny Weasley”. The witches and wizards of all ages in the crowd passed the giant stuffed replica of a basilisk snake around like it was crowd surfing. And if that doesn’t feel like a magical night, then I don’t know what would. “Save Ginny Weasley” feat. a basilisk crowd surfing

Harry and the Potters – Hermione’s Army, from the album Lumos, Harry and the Potters’ first full-length album in over a decade.

To check out more great independent music, and hang at a really fun venue that is a living SF classic, go to Bottom of the Hill.

Bottom of the Hill Calendar