The Runarounds in Boston: Where TV Meets the Stage

A Cultural Phenomenon in the Making 

By: Nazalia Justiniano 

The Runarounds, an electric indie rock band, have taken their “Minivan Tour” on the road, and their recently sold-out stop in Somerville, Mass. at Warehouse XI showed just how quickly the band has grown into a cultural phenomenon. More than just musicians, The Runarounds now exist at the intersection of reality and fiction, doubling as the stars of Amazon Prime Video’s new series The Runarounds, which premiered on Sept. 1. 

For five years, The Runarounds were just that: a real band, rocking their way through clubs and building a steady following. The Runarounds, a scripted series about them — or at least versions of them — changed their world. 

Now, the group lives in two realities at once: on screen as fictional characters, and on stage as musicians with undeniable talent and chemistry. The Somerville performance on Sept. 20, part of their fall tour, proved just how much the crossover has amplified their audience. Tickets sold out quickly and the crowd inside roared with anticipation before the first chord struck. 

When the lights dimmed, the crowd roared, and from that moment, the night belonged to the band. It was one of those rare moments when art, fandom and performance fused together into a single story everyone in the room got to be a part of. Prime Video may have boosted their visibility, but it’s the live performances that seal the deal. 

Fans packed into the venue, buzzing for a band that somehow exists in two worlds at once. Axel Ellis, Jesse Golliher, Jeremy Yun, Zendé Murdock and William Lipton played with the kind of chemistry that only comes from years of trial, error and growth together. 

“When we play live as a band, you don't have to play the songs a million times and the crowd is into it,” Jesse Golliher, vocalist and bass guitarist, said. “Like, I’ve been blown away by how many people have showed up and known all the words and we can get through a real set that we developed.”

They tore through fan favorites with an energy that was both raw and precise, every guitar riff and drumbeat pulsating with a sense of urgency. When the encore came, the room erupted into chants for one more song. The band returned and launched into a soaring cover of “Valerie” by Amy Winehouse that left the entire room singing along.

Jonas Pate, the creator of the Prime Video series, and script writer David Wilcox built storylines that mirrored the band’s spirit without flattening it. Their scripts capture the humor, tension and camaraderie of being in a band, but it’s the musicians themselves who breathe life into both worlds. 

“As we were writing the episodes, the band was in the studio writing the songs, and so it was like this really kind of cool feedback loop and very creatively intense,” Wilcox said, “basically we’d be coming up with all these stories and then we’d jump on a Zoom with the band to talk about song ideas.”

What makes The Runarounds so fascinating is how their two realities keep feeding each other. They've become more than a band or a TV phenomenon: they're both. Boston proved it: long lines, loud crowds and a performance that blurred the lines between screen and stage. For one night, fiction and reality weren't competing; they were vibing in perfect harmony. 

The Runarounds have created something rare, a cultural crossover where a television show fueled a real band's rise, and their authenticity feeds back into the show. They have proved they’re more than a scripted phenomenon, but a band that makes you feel part of the story, whether you discovered them on screen or in the crowd.