I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: May 23, 2024] Soul Glo

I wasn’t sure if I needed to see Mannequin Pussy again–but when they announced a tour of their new (excellent) album and that they were ending it in Philly and that Soul Glo was opening, I knew I had to go.

I had heard lots of buzz about Soul Glo and all of the videos I’d seen had shown a frenzied band and a frenzied audience.  I was intrigued but decided that ultimately the show would be too intense for me.

But having them as an opening act made it a little safer–especially since I got to stand on the side of the pit and just watch it.  But a home town crowd knew how to get into their scorching punk.

Soul Glo came out to much applause.  Allen Nunez on bass was closest to me.  Singer Pierce Jordan was playing with some electronic sounds while the rest of band got set up.  TJ Stevenson was on the drum kit and GG Guerra strapped on his guitar and started making noises on his own electronic equipment.

And then they turned to us and were off.

Pierce Jordan has a pretty harsh voice–the better to scream the lyrics.  I really couldn’t understand much of anything, but the tone was quite clear.

But he has great stage presence and did engage the audience in a speaking voice where he made the point of the songs pretty clear.

I didn’t know that  they were friends with Mannequin Pussy (and lived together at some point).  But it made a lot of sense.

I don’t know how many songs they played.  I recognized some of the choruses, but not all of them.  For one of the songs, they had a woman come out and sing with them.  I don’t know who she was, but she was great and added an excellent layer to the song.  For the final song, another woman came out and Bear from Mannequin Pussy also joined them.

Clearly the most fun moment was when GG threw his guitar up in the air and caught it.

I also enjoyed watching the crowd get really into it–with several mosh pits starting throughout the set.  They played for a solid 45 minutes–it’s great when you’re friends with the headliner.  And they made an impression.

This set list is from a show a few days earlier.  I’m surprised that no one in Philly bothered to write up the setlist at our show(s).

1. GODBLESSYALLREALGOOD ⇔
2. Coming Correct Is Cheaper ⇔
3. We Wants Revenge ⇔
4. If I Speak (Shut the Fuck Up) ©
5. John J ⇔
6. (Quietly) Do the Right Thing §
7. Driponomics ⇔
8. B.O.M.B.S. ⊗
9. Gold Chain Punk (whogonbeatmyass?) ⇔