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Archive for March, 2024

Daði Freyr: I’m Doing a Tour (Brooklyn Bowl, Philadelphia, PA, March 7, 2024)

Posted in Atomic Kitten, Backstreet Boys, Blusher, Brooklyn Bowl, Daði Freyr, Philadelphia, PA on March 8, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: March 7, 2024] Daði Freyr 

I saw Daði Freyr about a year and a half ago on his first tour of the United States.  So now I’ve seen ALL of his appearances in Philadelphia (two).  I enjoyed the first one so much I grabbed a ticket for my wife and daughter as well.  Turned out that my daughter had a school thing she couldn’t miss.  And had I looked up the details, I would have seen the the show was sold out and I probably could have sold my ticket.  I never would have guessed it had sold out, but look at that poster–sold out up and down the country.

To my knowledge, Daði Freyr was only known from his Eurovision songs.  I had no idea that he made any kind of inroads into the US.  When I saw him last time there were some die hard fans at the show.  But this was crazy. There was a woman in front of us who, when he sang “Sunshine” nearly passed out saying “I can’t believe he’s real.”

Fascinating.

I went last time as a lark.  I went this time because I enjoyed his show and thought my family might too.  It was quite eye opening.

Like last time, the band was a trio–Daði is on synths, guitar and bass, Ylva Øyen on drums and keys and Pétur Karl on guitars and synth.

Center stage was a giant inflatable head of Daði and there were two giant hands on either side of the stage.  There was an announcement before the show in which Daði thanked us for coming and told us to look into the eyes and the souls of the people around us and get ready to dance with them.

They came out on stage and the crowd went nuts.  Appropriately, they started with “Thank You,” a classic synth pop song.  His voice is surprisingly deep and yet very warm at the same time.

last time, he followed this up with the rather amusing “Shut Up” but this time he jumped right into an older Icelandic language song–and the crowd went even crazier. (more…)

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Blusher (Brooklyn Bowl, Philadelphia, PA, March 7, 2024) [DAÐI FREYR]

Posted in Blusher, Brooklyn Bowl, Daði Freyr, Nelly Furtado, Philadelphia, PA on March 7, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: March 7, 2024] Blusher

I was pretty excited to see Daði Freyr again.  I didn’t pay much attention to the opening act.  Last time it wa a local musician whom I hadn’t heard of.

This time it proved to be an up and coming megastar band from Australia called Blusher.

Of course, when they came out, my wife and I thought that they were a local group of teenage girls.  They sang well, the song was catchy, but they seemed so young!

Then they introduced themselves (Jade, Lauren, and Miranda) and Jade’s Australian accent was terrific and we agreed that we instantly liked them at least 5% more.

I’ve now looked them up and learned they are not teenagers (or maybe they are, but they’ve been making music for a pretty long time, anyhow).  They opened for Aurora last year.  Jade Alice (her solo name) has been making music since 2015.

I enjoyed their lyrics, which weren’t profound but were more than standard pop lyrics.

Dead End has a really catchy pause mid-verse that draws you in.  I really like Limelight–super catchy chorus

They announced a cover that we might know (I didn’t), and then played their new rocking single “Rave Angel.”    It was followed by another new song “About You.”

Then came their first hit “Softly Spoken.”  I hadn’t heard of it but it has had a million streams.  The worldplay is pretty clever.  At the end of the song Miranda sang into a mgeaphone.  Unfortunately, it cut out while she was yelling at the end.

“Hurricane Chaser” was a fun song with a cool metaphor.  But the new song “Accelerator” had a mad fast dance beat and was super catchy.

They ended with “Backbone,” a catchy song about your friend hating your boyfriend: “You said you’d punch him in the chest if you ever met him.”  Super catchy, but an odd place to punch someone…ouch.

For this song they did some basic self-defense move choreography, which was cute.  The whole show they did very simple choreography–the kind that teenagers come up with when they’re singing in their bedroom.  It made them somehow even more adorable.

And the crowd ate it up. I felt like the crowd might have been a bunch of rubes or a bunch of plants–massive shrieking when all three waved their arms at the same time, and massive screams of pleasure when they all turned around to reveal they were–gasp–all wearing sunglasses.  It was a little weird, but it made the band feel great and I think their first show in the States was a huge success for them.

I’ve decided to follow them online to see how big they get, so I can say that I saw their first show in the States.

  1. Dead End ¿
  2. Limelight ¿
  3. Say It Right (Nelly Furtado cover)
  4. Rave Angel §
  5. About You §
  6. Softly Spoken ¿
  7. Hurricane Chaser ¿
  8. Accelerator §
  9. Backbone ¿
§ new songs (2024)
¿ Should We Go Dance? EP (2023)

 

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Bit Brigade / Nmlstyl (Wonder Bar, Asbury Park, NJ, March 6, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Asbury Park, NJ, Bit Brigade, Nmlstyl, Wonder Bar on March 6, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: March 6, 2024] Bit Brigade / Nmlstyl

I saw Bit Brigade in 2018 and really enjoyed the show.  The premise of their live show is terrific

The band plays the soundtrack to a video game while their resident gamer plays the game.  The band is heavy and the sound is amazing.

For this show, Bit Brigade Performs “The Legend of Zelda” + “Castlevania” but I’m going out tomorrow night so I’m going to give it a miss.  The good news is that in a few months they’re coming back and I’ve already got tickets to see them in Frenchtown. (more…)

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The Dandy Warhols / Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor (Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA, March 6, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA, Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor, The Dandy Warhols on March 6, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: March 6, 2024] The Dandy Warhols / Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor

I liked The Dandy Warhols quite a lot back in the 1990s and kind of lost interest in the early 200s.  They have a few songs that I like quite a lot still, although I don;t think about them that much.

When they announced this tour I wondered if I wanted to see  them.  And I decided that I really didn’t.

Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor have a great weird psychedelic name and when I listened to a few songs by them I was so disappointed I couldn’t believe it.

They basically combine all of the things I dislike about psych garage rock into one band.  I hate the singer’s voice.  I hate the overall vibe they project.  It’s just all exactly the opposite of what I thought they’d be like.

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THICK (Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, March 1, 2024)

Posted in Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, Big Girl, Teenage Halloween, Tetchy, Thick, Well Wisher on March 6, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: March 1, 2024] THICK

This concert was announced less than a month ago, but I was on board with seeing THICK again.  I had seen them open for Pussy Riot and they were great.  So, yea, only three months later I’d happily see them again.

This was their only show on their schedule, so I’m not entirely sure what inspired it. And with such short notice, I fear that they didn’t have a very large turnout.  In fact, after Teenage Halloween, a lot of fans of the band left, so there were definitely more people there for Teenage Halloween (who are from Asbury Park, let’s not forget) than THICK.

Also, I am quite certain the THICK set was cut short.  They had a pretty hard curfew of 11:30, and by the time they went on, it was close to 10:45.  So, they actually wound up playing one song fewer than they did when they opened for Pussy Riot!

The setlist was not too different from the previous show, although the opening and closing songs were different.

I was up front for the first couple of songs, but I decided to move back some because the sound was a little better in the back.  Plus, once the mosh pit got going (and it was small but it did get going–there was a guy with a huge mohawk who was pretty awesome).

They opened with the title track from 5 Years Behind, the album I know best.  It was great to hear them started off with the frenetic shouting of “always five years always five years always five years behind.”   They didn’t play this last time and it was fun to hear.  It was also the only song where Kate Black played guitar and the touring guitarist Gillian Visco (from Shadow Monster) played bass.  (more…)

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Teenage Halloween (Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, March 1, 2024) [THICK]

Posted in Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, Big Girl, Teenage Halloween, Tetchy, Thick, Well Wisher on March 5, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: March 1, 2024] Teenage Halloween

There were four bands opening for THICK at this show.  And I hadn’t heard of any of them before.  I listened to a few songs by all of them and thought they all sounded good.

But I didn’t expect to be as impressed by Teenage Halloween as I was.  And the crowd was out in full force for them (they reside in Asbury park, it turns out).

The band describes themselves as a Queer power pop ensemble from Jersey/NYC, S/T LP out now!!!

There are four members in the band: Tricia Marshall – bass vocals , Eli Frank – guitar, Peter Gargano – drums , Luk Henderiks – guitar vocals.

Luk seemed to sing more of the songs, but Tricia sang about four or five of the seventeen (!) they played.  Turns out the band was originally a solo project for Luk, so I think they get to have the majority of songs.  Plus, it turned out that Luk’s mom was in the audience (and might be their manager).

So the band plays short blasts of catchy emo songs–lots of punk feelings (their bio says)

At the heart of vocalist and guitarist Luk Henderiks’ lyrics is an urgent longing for community. Despite their often strikingly personal vulnerability, these songs reach out to the wider world, striving to hold themselves and those around them accountable for their actions and to make space for those that need to be heard.

and occasionally fantastic guitar solos (Eli Frank is a total shredder, but doesn’t overuse that skill).

Luk’s singing style is of the screaming variety–harsh, but not too harsh–and a good sense of melody.  And, again, the songs are pop punk and easy to sing along with.

The band spoke to the audience every couple of songs. And about half way through the set Tricia said how excited she was to be playing on this mostly women bill.  She then said she’s be singing songs written by a woman (her): Getting Bitter and Say It.  A few songs later she sang a really good cover of Pretenders’ Brass in Pocket (dedicated to Luk’s mom).  She later said that singing without a bass (Luk played bass for the song) took away the thing she hides behind.

It was really nice having a different singer for these songs to give even more variety to the music.

Throughout the set, the backing vocals (from Tricia and Eli) were great–really giving a lot of power and depth to the songs.

Frank was also a lot of fun, jumping around on stage and making (terrible) jokes throughout the set.  I don’t have much to say about drummer Peter because he suited the band perfectly–a good sound and nothing too flashy.

The rest of the set was equally good–the songs were catchy and fun and the crowd was really really into it.  I haven’t really had much time to delve into the lyrics, but the ones I’ve heard have been good–pointed and clever.

This was their first show of the calendar year (in March?!), but they have a tour planned in the UK (although Tricia and Kevin won’t be going–no reason given), so their popularity must not be local only.

I would absolutely see them again.

  1. Good Time ⇔
  2. Supertrans ⇔
  3. Takeaway ⇔
  4. Getting Bitter ⇔
  5. Say It ⇔
  6. Clarity Ó
  7. Sights Down ⇔
  8. Brass in Pocket (Pretenders cover)
  9. Doctor ⇔
  10. Lights Out ⇔
  11. Melodrama ⇔
  12. Oh The Drama ⇔
  13. Burn €
  14. Travelin’ On ⇔
  15. Holes Ó
  16. Stationary Ó
  17. Armageddon Now ⇔

⇔ Til You Return (2023)
€ The Homeless Gospel Choir/Teenage Halloween split EP (2022)
Ó Teenage Halloween (2020)

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Well Wisher / Tetchy / Big Girl (Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, March 1, 2024) [THICK] [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, Big Girl, Teenage Halloween, Tetchy, Thick, Well Wisher on March 5, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: March 1, 2024] Well Wisher / Tetchy / Big Girl

I saw at a rather late hour that THICK was going to be playing Asbury Lanes.  When I realized it was the same night as the SOMA show in Asbury Park, I wondered if I could do both.

And, logistically, yes I could.  So I bought a ticket to the show and then wondered how many of the five bands playing tonight I would miss.

I calculated that I might see some of Well Wisher, which was cool because they were interesting (actually, all five bands were interesting).  But as it turned out, the SOMA show went about 20 minutes later than I thought it would and I wound up walking in on the final chords that Well Wisher was playing before the got off the stage.   I had to run to the bathroom, so I didn’t even see them.  But at least I was there for all of the Teenage Halloween set. (more…)

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Luminous Abstract presents Sonic Mass featuring Soma (Trinity Church, Asbury Park, NJ, March 1, 2024)

Posted in Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, Cementation Anxiety, Soma, Tramutanas, Trinity Church on March 4, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: March 1, 2024] Soma

Soma is an acronym for Sacred Order of Mystic Apogees.  It’s unfortunate that they go by Soma as there are about a half a dozen bands named Soma.  They are a New Jersey based band that plays spiritual/religious music.

I will display my profound ignorance of Indian/Hindu culture by saying that I realized by the end of the set that they were singing mantras like Hare Krishna, but I don’t know if only the Hare Krishna movement (?) sings this refrain.

I did look up some information about the Hare Krishna movement and learned this (from NPR)

The Hare Krishna movement is a branch of Hinduism, formally known as Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Its name comes from its chant — Hare Krishna — which devotees repeat over and over. It was started in the 16th century by Sri Chaitanya of Bengal (1486-1533). He emphasized the worship of Krishna and believed that chanting the names of God was so powerful that in addition to one’s own meditation on them, they should also be chanted in the streets for the benefit of all.

So that’s nice.

The band’s instagram handle is soma_kirtan.  Kirtan is (according to wikipedia) a

genre of religious performance arts, connoting a musical form of narration or shared recitation, particularly of spiritual or religious ideas is a call-and-response or antiphonal style song or chant, set to music, wherein multiple singers recite the names of a deity, describe a legend, express loving devotion to a deity, or discuss spiritual ideas

There was no call and response at our set but there was a lot of chanting. (more…)

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Luminous Abstract presents Sonic Mass featuring Tramutanas (Trinity Church, Asbury Park, NJ, March 1, 2024) [SOMA]

Posted in Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, Cementation Anxiety, Soma, Tramutanas, Trinity Church on March 3, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: March 1, 2024] Tramutanas 

The only thing I could find out about Tramuntanas online (in addition to their Instagram page) is this cryptic statement on their website:

Tramuntanas, a new instrumental duo from Baltimore, features Asa Osborne (known for his work with Zomes, Lungfish, and the Pupils) and Canadian sound and video installation artist Shan Collis. The duo will release their debut album in 2024.

So imagine my surprise when Tramuntanas (which means the north wind, I believe), turned out to be a trio.  Asa Osborne was on bass (a great bass sound), Shan Collis played keys (and I assume triggered the amazing visuals) and a third person played sax.

I’m not usually one for saxophone, but this gentleman (whose name was never given) was great.  He played elliptical lines and sounds–solos but never lengthy guitar solo type solos.  He accented the otherwise simple music and his sax was haunting throughout.

Unlike Cementation Anxiety, Tramuntanas’ songs were all short–3 minutes or so.  Some were super catchy with great bass lines, others were pretty and meandering.

Of the three bands, I enjoyed their lights the most–they really synched up with the music nicely.

I’m really quite curious to hear what their recorded output will be like–they have a bandcamp page but there’s nothing on it.

Such a mystery!

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Luminous Abstract presents Sonic Mass featuring Cementation Anxiety (Trinity Church, Asbury Park, NJ, March 1, 2024) [SOMA]

Posted in Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, Cementation Anxiety, Soma, Tramutanas, Trinity Church on March 2, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: March 1, 2024] Cementation Anxiety

This night of shows was curated by Luminous Abstract, “a production, design and artist collective” who do “audio visual events and projection mapping antics.”

It’s hard to find very much about them (aside from their instagram page, but they seem to occasionally curate a Sonic Mass (I believe this is the fifth one).  The events are listed as

Sonic Mass: An Audio Visual Experience to benefit the Trinity Church’s well being Program.

Donations were appreciated and they raised $500 for the Food Justice Program at Trinity Church, which strives to meet the immediate needs of hunger in Asbury Park and to organize within the community to prevent hunger and injustice in the future.

So that’s pretty awesome.

Cementation Anxiety was added to this bill just before the show started, so I didn’t have time check them out.

I have since discovered that the band is basically the solo project of Kyle Nelson from the punk band Bodiless (who I didn’t know).

Spotify says the band is a

sonic departure from the intensity of Bodiless, Cementation Anxiety still endeavors to explore the catharsis present in both genres—predominantly through guitar—but also field recordings, oscillators, noise machines, and hardware tools.

It was pretty bizarre not being able to see the musician at all.  Occasionally when the projections were more bright, you could see Nelson with his guitar, but I had no idea how the rest of the sounds were being generated.

So it was a kind of wall of sounds.  He played guitar (which may have been a tweak too loud, especially compared to the other bands) but it was really interesting to watch (when he was visible) because his strumming didn’t seem to directly relate to the music that we were hearing.  There must have been effects galore on his guitar because he would strum really hard and the you couldn’t hear the individual strums like you would in a punk show, it was like the intensity of the wave of music just got bigger.

He switched guitars a couple of times and that changed the timbre of the music.  It felt old school industrial, but not.  It was powerful, bordering on overwhelming.

I later chatted briefly on Instagram with Kyle and he told me that the first half of the set came from his EP Liminal Instability and the second half was from an unreleased album coming out in May.

It was a cool way to start the night and the visuals were a great accompaniment.

Much applause goes to Luminous Abstract and the three bands.

(more…)

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