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The Fab Faux with the Hogshead Horns and Creme Tangerine Strings (Wellmont Theater, Montclair, NJ, June 13, 2026)

Posted in John Lennon, Montclair, NJ, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, The Beatles, The Fab Faux with the Hogshead Horns and Creme Tangerine Strings, Wellmont Theater, Wings on June 13, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 13, 2026] The Fab Faux

I’ve said many times that I don’t do cover bands.  And yet, here’s another one.  Well, this one was different. There is literally no way to see The Beatles anymore and since my wife is a huge Beatles fan and a friend (who is in a different Beatles cover band) said these guys were great, I got tickets for us.

Recently The Fab Faux (a truly great name) played Abbey Road and a Hard Day’s Night in their entirety.  So I was psyched for an evening of Beatles music.  They even had Hogshead Horns and Creme Tangerine Strings with them, so I imagined a chronological tour through the years of Beatles albums.

They opened with Got to Get You Into My Life and I was pretty impressed.  The vocals were really good and of course the musicianship was top notch.   They followed it with Savoy Truffle (in which they sing “creme tangerine”).  I recognized the music but not the words at all.  (It’s a late cut on the White Album, but I guess I never paid much attention to it.  My wife was pleased to hear it.

Then they played a song that neither of us really knew.  Junior’s Farm is a song by Wings and neither of us are big Wings fans, so…

But then they started playing some familiar songs–Back in the U.S.S.R.–and I was really blown away by how good their voices were–Paul and John were just perfect.  I loved Paperback Writer and Taxman and it was around this time that I noticed that the people in the front row (we were in the middle section) were going nuts.  Like nuts as if this were, not the actual Beatles, not that nuts, but like a super famous band of musicians.

Speaking of the crowd, when we sat down, a guy next to us had brought three inflatable cushions to sit on.  It looked like he had some kind of trouble walking, so I assume it was medical.  But this guy was in the front row and he was going to be easily six inches taller than he was meant to be.  They were in the wrong seat anyhow, and had to move, so I don’t know what happened after that.

They played It Don’t Come Easy (and the drummer sang this Ringo song).  I realized that I didn’t know this was a Ringo Starr song.  Huh.  And then a fantastic cover of I am the Walrus.  And then they played Jet by Wings.  Don’t get me wrong, it was fun hearing this song played live, but, seriously, what was with all of the spinoff songs?  (more…)

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Holy Wars (Nikki Lopez, Philadelphia, PA, June 10, 2026)

Posted in Hole, Holy Wars, Nikki Lopez, Oxymorrons, Palinoia, Philadelphia, PA on June 12, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 10, 2026] Holy Wars

This show was announced rather unexpectedly.  Holy Wars and Oxymorrons are playing the Warped Tour in Washington D.C.  But they had a few days off, so they decided to play some small clubs in NY and Philly.   I didn’t know Holy Wars, but I love Oxymorrons. I actually assumed that Oxymorrons was the headliner.  Especially when I went upstairs and saw that the Oxy drum were set up (and every band used them).  But Holy Wars were the headliner and the crowd that was there was really into them.

The guy who was in front of me was a huge fan of Holy Wars–he had gotten to the venue at like 4:30 and chatted with the band.  He must have been super psyched when lead singer, Kat, leaned right up to him during one of the songs and let him sing a line or two.

So Holy Wars is technically a duo of vocalist Kat Leon and Nicholas Perez on guitar.  For the live show they had a bassist and drummer too.  They’ve been around for a few years and have a few albums out.  Their style has changed pretty dramatically over the years.  Their earliest stuff is much less heavy.   And their middle stuff is more electronic.  But their newer stuff is guitar based and almost nu metal.  Kat seems to really get into this new style.

Kat is a great frontwoman–she clearly loves what she does and has a lot of fun up there.  The rest of the band didn’t do much, but I think all eyes are on her.  I gather that this was a tour to support their new album, the awkwardly named Shadow Work/Light Work, because they played most of it.

They opened with I Feel Everything the first proper song on their new album.  Kat has a few different vocal styles and I wondered if she was putting some kind of effect on her voice when there seemed to be some kind of echo during certain parts.  The song has a really heavy almost 5 string bass sound.  But what I thought was really cool was that their bassist was using a hollow bodied 4 string bass.  It looked huge and sounded really deep.  He also sang the occasional ugly backing vocals.

Their drummer, Johnny Tuosto was a beast back there.  I don’t know if he had effects on his drums, but his snare was occasionally so piercing.  He really added a lot to the sound.

They followed it with Kill the Light a song that switches between heavy parts and quieter moments.  It really showed off how diverse Kat’s vocals can be.  She dedicated Crucify to a lot of people they hate (she didn’t say names).  I enjoyed the slow, screamed chorus.  Then she said they would play some old songs.  (more…)

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Oxymorrons (Nikki Lopez, Philadelphia, PA, June 10, 2026) [HOLY WARS]

Posted in Holy Wars, Nikki Lopez, Oxymorrons, Palinoia, Philadelphia, PA on June 11, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 10, 2026] Oxymorrons

This show was announced rather unexpectedly.  Holy Wars and Oxymorrons are playing the Warped Tour in Washington D.C.  But they had a few days off, so they decided to playt some small clubs in NY and Philly.   I didn’t know Holy Wars, but I love Oxymorrons.  This was my third time seeing them and it was the best one yet.

My son and I saw them twice in a bout a year back in 2023.  Since that time they have been all over the world oening for everybody.  They have played to massive crowds.  And here they were playing for 100 people and they gave it 100%.

I had never been to Nikki Lopez before.  The place is SMALL.  So much so that everyone on stage was basically right in front of me.  And since both singers move around so much, they were within inches of me from time to time.  I am only surprised that they didn’t walk into the crowd–it was certainly logistically possible.

While guitarist Jafe Paulino was setting up, frontmen, Demi “Deee” and his brother Kami “KI” came bouncing up on stage.  They have so much energy and are so fun.

Last time we saw them their drummer was Matty Mayz. He has since left (to start a restaurant, I believe) and as of May, their new drummer is Amani Drums–and he was phenomenal.  Their  setup hasn’t changed since we saw them last.  One guitarist playing the riffs which belies how solid and huge they sound. With Amani on the drums, that’s all there is in terms of music (they definitely have some kind of backing music somewhere).  Their songs have big punk riffs that are catchy and powerful.  And that’s when Deee and KI come in.  The verses are rapped and the choruses are sung.  It’s not “rap rock” it’s an organic blend of punk and rapping that works perfectly, blending rap’s rage with punk rage.

When we saw them last time, they were just about to release Melanin Punk.  Since then, they’ve put out an EP

They opened with Justice, which is from their debut, has a cool riff, aggressive rapping and then a big ol chorus (I’m tired of justice, I’m tired of pain, the rain only washes a few of the stains).  They followed this with Green Vision.  I was worried that they’d only play songs I didn’t know since it had been a while, but these first two songs I’ve seen twice before–which was perfect for singing along.

They also played a few songs from Melanin Punk, including Head for the Hills which I hadn’t seen them play before.  I was surprised that their set was so short, but I didn’t realize that many of their songs are so short–everything is so intense and bouncy and exhausting that it feels like the songs are long.  But Melanin Punk is less than 2 minutes and Enemy (a fantastic song) is just over 2 minutes.  And I guess since Head for the Hills has a guest verse, they leave that one out, shortening the song live.

I had to laugh when I remembered that we were supposed to help out on Melanin Punk, by singing a “la la, la la la” part.  But that part is only in the intro, so we didn’t have to do it again.

I also loved that they are still telling the origin story of their name

They were thinking about names and thought that Oxymorons was a great name.  But they found out an old punk band already had the name.  So they contacted them and the old geezers said they would sell them the rights for $25,000.  So they decided to put a second R in their name because R’s are free.  They kept the $25K and copyrighted their new name.  So when they shout TWO R’s we shout NOT ONE!

Two R’s Not One–a catchy slogan and a way to not forget their name.

They played two songs from the 2025 EP.  The naughty, but fun Laughing While Crying and the ripping BLK SHEEP, which has the superfun sing along “fucking why not” at the beginning of each line.  And man the melody is so frikkin catchy.

I’ve liked Definition (which I’ve also now seen 3 times) from the first time I heard it.  A killer melody singing

Can’t define me
I am, who I am on my own
Don’t try me again
We are ’bout to take you to another level
If you weren’t ready, baby, you’re in trouble
Can’t define me, don’t try me again

They ended with Look Alive, a ripping song that ended with Jafe making all kinds of noise with his guitar against the speakers and the mic stand and anything else he could scrape it against.  And that was that.  Only a half hour but with 2 hours worth of sweat.

I know that they have played all over the place–and are currently playing the Warped Tour this weekend.  I am genuinely surprised they aren’t bigger.  Because they are one of the best live bands I’ve seen–especially if you see them from two feet away.

June 2026, Nikki Lopez January 2023, The Foundry March 2022, Union Transfer
Justice µ Intro Think Big µ
Green Vision µ Think Big µ Green Vision µ
Head for the Hills ♣ Green Vision µ Django µ
Melanin Punk♣ Ghost of Chuck Berry µ Definition µ
Laughing While Crying ∞ Enemy ♣ Happy Birthday to You
Deadass drum interlude Deadass Interlude Pretty People µ
Enemy ♣ Definition µ Justice µ
BLK SHEEP ∞ Melanin Punk ♣
Definition µ Django µ
justice interlude Pretty People µ
Look Alive (netic) ♣ Look Alive (Netic) ♣
Justice µ (with preceding interlude)
Encore
Lapdance (N.E.R.D. cover)

∞ Create, Destroy, Rebuild, Repeat EP (2025)
♣ Melanin Punk (2023)
µ Mohawks & durags (2021)

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Palinoia (Nikki Lopez, Philadelphia, PA, June 10, 2026) [HOLY WARS]

Posted in Holy Wars, Nikki Lopez, Oxymorrons, Palinoia, Philadelphia, PA on June 10, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 10, 2026] Palinoia

This show was announced rather unexpectedly.  Holy Wars and Oxymorrons are playing the Warped Tour in Washington D.C.  But they had a few days off, so they decided to play some small clubs in NY and Philly.   I didn’t know Holy Wars, but I love Oxymorrons. A few days beforethe show, I received an email: IMPORTANT – Your upcoming event at Nikki Lopez Philly has changed.

Which was worrying.  But they just wanted to let us know that there was an opening act–Palinoia.  Here’s their deal

Palinoia is a post-hardcore/metalcore band from eastern PA and NJ, formed by lead vocalist Via Weiss, bassist Adam Tomcho, drummer Thomson Estabrook, and guitarist Kenan Salazar.  Palinoia [are] influenced by 2000s alternative metal, contemporary post-hardcore, and modern metalcore. Their sound is marked by heavy melodic riffs and searing vocal hooks.

And that’s pretty accurate.  They are a solid four piece.  Estabrook broke his snare drum after five songs (he had a replacement).  I was in front of Tomcho and I was happy to see that on a number of songs, he was playing some really cool bass lines.  He used a four string for most songs, but for one of them he switched to a five string and added a lot of cool riffs to the song.

Their first song was Harridan, their single. I was really impressed by Salazar’s guitar playing.  He had serious shredding chops, but he didn’t show off with them.  Some songs didn’t have solos, but the ones that did were really tasty.  Like in Lilith.  Lilith has some what I think of as chunky chords–heavy notes one or two at at time, which works well to transition parts of the song.  I also liked that this one had a cool bent note during the chunky part.

They played a cover song which I didn’t know (but she was sure everyone would).  I didn’t know it was a cover, but I assumed it was because it didn’t sound anything like their own stuff.  I don’t know Thrice at all, but it was catchy.

I actually thought the staccato chords and soaring chorus of Lay This to Rest were catchier than Harridan, but what do I know.

They slowed things down with Falling, a quieter song that allowed Weiss’ voice to be heard more clearly.  Since for the other songs everybody was really loud, I couldn’t tell how good her voice was.  Last December was similarly melodic with some more quiet moments–and the five string bass with some great bass lines.  Salazar switched to a seven string guitar for this song, too.

When they said they had only one more song, someone shouted, No Two!  And Via told us that they didn’t know any more.  They played their entire EP (but not in order) and one cover.  Scarlet Letter is a moodier piece that stretched out to nearly 6 minutes.  The middle section has some cool heavy riffs and guitar tricks that I rally liked.

It was fun seeing a brand new band.  I have no idea how many shows they’ve played out, but they sounded great.  And maybe this show will give them some more exposure.

June 2026, Nikki Lopez
Harridan ∞
Lilith ∞
Falling (Back to You) ∞
The Artist in the Ambulance (Thrice cover)
Lay This to Rest ∞
Last December ∞
Scarlet Letter ∞

∞ Palinoia EP (2026)

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KulfiGirls / Eraser / Farewell Days / Máty Rodriguez (Warehouse on Watts, Philadelphia, PA, June 5, 2026) [Saw 2 songs from Farewell Days]

Posted in Eraser, Farewell Days, Máty Rodriguez, Philadelphia, PA, Warehouse on Watts on June 5, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[SAW 2 SONGS: June 5, 2026] KulfiGirls / Eraser / Farewell Days / Máty Rodriguez

I found out about KulfiGirls a few weeks ago and I was really interested in them.  Then I saw that they were playing W.O.W. right around the corner.  But it turned out to be the same night as the Mekons show.  I figured that the Mekons show might end early enough that I could get over to W.O.W. and see their set.  Although someone on IG said that KulfiGirls would be going on at around 10.  So I left Mekons a little early (which I never do, but I wasn;t really feeling it).

When I got to W.O.W. I asked who had gone on and he said that Farewell Days was going on.  Which at first made me happy that I hadn’t missed Kulfi Girls.  But then I realized that I Eraser had not been on yet.

Farewell Days was still setting up when I walked in.. My leg was feeling really sore and it was actually hard to stand (no idea what I did to myself).  I took a seat over by the merch, but I just wasn;t feeling it at all.  When Farewell Days finally got going, I liked their sound, but just couldn’t get into it.

Formed in 2024, Farewell Days are a new band out of Philadelphia blending layers of distorted guitars with haunting atmosphere, modern sensibilities and a strong melodic framework.  Fronted by charismatic singer/guitarist C.J. Davis, whose ethereal vocals float over the walls of shimmering guitars and driving beats, each Farewell Days performance is a mesmerizing installment.  Drawing inspiration from the dreamy vibes of Shoegaze and the raw energy of Grunge, Farewell Days are poised to become a force in the indie scene for the foreseeable future.

On record they sound like the best of the Deftones’ shoegaze style.  Live, they were a lot louder.  The shoegaze vibe was replaced by a really heavy sound that I just wasn’t in the mood for, I guess.   So I did a crazy thing and walked out.

I heard two songs but have no idea what they were.  And I don’t blame the band at all.  In fact, the more I listen to their records, the more I like them.  So maybe I’ll see them open for someone else one of these days.

KulfiGirls are a Philadelphia-based rock band fronted by lead vocalist Abi Natesh who, through her use of the South Indian Saraswati veena, presents a novel “carnatic rock” sound inspired by diverse genres of pop and rock. I listened to their album and really liked it.  I was really excited to be able to see them, but I couldn’t believe how bad I felt and how much I didn’t want to stay there.  I’m sure they’ll be playing in the area again, but it would have been cool to see them on their album release night.

I saw Eraser open for Remember Sports a little while ago.  They were weird but good.  But I didn;t feel like I needed to see them again.

Máty Rodriguez is from New Brunswick New Jersey and now lives in Philadelphia.  She moved to Philadelphia about four years ago with the encouragement of her longtime producer, Justin Calaycay with Mt. Moon Recording Studio.  She’s a young, new musician with an EP, Standup Show.  And I guess she now goes just by Máty.  Decisions like not returning to college, getting sober, and her first major heartbreak are revived and recounted, some expressed as somber realizations (I’m Tired, Unilover) and others as cathartic releases (Ghost, T-Town).

I didn’t know anything about her and would have missed her regardless, the EP has a nice vibe, although I prefer her early single Ghost to the more mellow EP.  Her voice (which is great) sounds like a lot of other peoples–the mellow Billie Eilish comes to mind.  And it’s weird that on I’m Tired she sings in that mushmouth way that is very popular these days.  But the EP ends with QUE PEDO which sounds like Mannequin Pussy.

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Built to Spill (Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, June 3, 2026)

Posted in Built to Spill, Guerrilla Toss, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on June 5, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: June 3, 2026] Built to Spill

Built to Spill is a fascinating band.  I’ve seen them seven times.  They change their setlist nightly which is awesome, and even some of the bigger “hits” don’t get played every show.  They didn’t play Carry the Zero the last time I saw them and there’s no song that they’ve played at every show (I Would Hut a Fly is pretty close).

So they are an indie rock band who tour a lot but who don’t put out a ton of new music.  And yet their fan base is devoted (and pretty obnoxious).  The age range is pretty broad, but there are a mix of twenty-somethings scattered in there who are awful–drunken bros and chatty girls.  The girls next to me couldn’t stop talking and taking pictures of each other and the bros at the bar were audible during the quiter moments–one of them even said something about the bass player which was borderline salacious.

This is the third time I’ve seen the band with this lineup: Melanie Radford on bass and Teresa Esguerra on drums.  It’s the most times I’ve seen them with the same players.  And they have really been gelling.  Onec of the most fun parts of the shows is when Dug does a lengthy improvised solo and Melanie steps back and looks over at Teresa and they smile and get into a tight groove.  It’s great!

Teresa plays in Prism Bitch who opened for BtS back in 2019 and Melanie Radford plays in Blood Lemon who opened for BTS in 2022.  As a trio, they are fantastic.  A friend of mine says he misses the larger band, and yea, it is cool when there are two guitars playing off each other, but this format give Dug a lot of space to play around.

Every setlist is different, even from show to show.  I’m intrigued, though, that they never play songs from Ancient Melodies of the Future (I’ve only seen them play one song from that record).  But as for the other albums, he mixes it up.  And tonight’s show started with Some Other Song and Spiderweb.  The crowd was really loud after his solos–I’m fascinated that there’s so many people who enjoy jammy guitar solos.

I was psyched to hear The Plan, a personal favorite.  It was followed by The Wait which I haven’t seen them play since 2019.

By this time I was getting really annoyed by the girls near me.  They were talking so much.  And I wanted to let it not bother me but they were so annoying.  But they were also apparently really into the show.  They were excited by Center of the Universe, but I have to wonder what songs they really like.

They started Tomorrow, a song I had not heard them play before and a guy at the far left of the crowd shouted They’re Playing My Song!  And he bounced his way to the middle right in front of me, obnoxiously singing and facing everyone until he pushed his way to the barrier ans shouted along. Security came a few moments later and the loud girls next to me started shouting No No, He didn’t…  whatever.  At that point I had to leave the area because I hated everyone.  I was glad my wife hadn’t come because the crowd was awful. (more…)

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Mekons (Latvian Society of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, June 5, 2026)

Posted in Latvian Society of Philadelphia, Mekons, Philadelphia, PA on June 5, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 5, 2026] Mekons

Mekons are a legendary punk/DIY/country band from England.  Their fanbase is as intense although the people who have never head of them is probably ten times as large.  I’mnot a huge fans, although I do like two of their albums from the 90s.  I thought it would be fun to see them live and hope that they played one or two of the songs that I really like.  I was also really intrigued that they were playing at the Latvian Society of Philadelphia (which I’d never heard of).  Evidently they tend to play offbeat places when they play in Philly (and maybe when they play elsewhere too).  But I was pretty pleased to explore the Latvian Society which is pretty cool.  Its right next to the German Society which is even more impressive on the outside.

I looked online and some site said that we could park in the German Society parking lot for shows at the Latvian Society.  I parked there and when I asked at the door, the Latvian folks had no idea what I was talking about, so I had to run off and move my car again.

I made it back in in time.  And I got a nice spot near the stage (in what was basically like a grammar school auditorium).  The show was going to be about 90 minutes and then “the band DJs after their set (they’re calling it a “Mekonic Disco”, so cool).”  So, there was incentive to stay late.

However, I had just discovered a band called KulfiGirls who were playing that night at Warehouse on Watts.  And I thought it would be super fun to go to both shows.  I was told that the KulfiGirls would go on at 10, so I planned to leave around 9:40.

Once the band came on, the old fans (and they were old!  I was definitely on the young side) pushed forward and blocked views and were just awful.

That didn’t help.  Nor did the fact that the old dude with the big white beard who pushed his way next to me was dancing in a way that I can only describe as invasive.  He rocked back and forth and swung his arms out to the side as he did so–basically taking up the room of 3 or 4 people.  I was really uncomfortable by the guy who was really close to hitting me, so I backed up and then he was in front of me rocking back and forth.  And I guess he was having fun, but Jesus.

So he really made me not enjoy myself.  And, worse than that, my hip started hurting and it was actually getting painful to stand on it.  So I thought I’d stick it out until they played the one song that I wanted to hear.  Of course, when I looked at the setlist again to see when Millionaire was being played–it wasn’t on the setlist at all. (more…)

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Guerilla Toss (Asbury Lanes, June 3, 2026) [BUILT TO SPILL]

Posted in Built to Spill, Guerrilla Toss, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on June 3, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: June 3, 2026] Guerilla Toss

Back in December, Built to Spill and Guerilla Toss played a show at Union Transfer.  I was really excited to go, but it was right after my surgery so I couldn’t make it.  I was especially bummed because I have wanted to see Guerilla Toss for a while.

So it’s awesome that they continued the tour together this summer.

I had heard a lot about Guerilla Toss’ live show and how wild it was.  Reviews I’ve read suggest that back in 2014, Guerilla Toss was a wild band with nudity and short sets.  They have now become far more traditional, but they are still plenty weird.  It’ sjut that now there are catchy, danceable moments within the noise.

So, this show wasn’t particularly wild, but the songs were great and weird and singer Kassie Carlson is a wonderful presence onstage (with great vocal dynamics).  She has a diverse delivery style, sounding at times like the B52s, but also making some fascinating squeaky sounds.

Their bassist Zach Lewelleyn has some fantastic bass lines in the songs.  He’s also either really tall or playing a fairly small bass guitar.  Guitarist Arian Shafiee (who founded the band) plays equally weird riffs and chords.

I couldn’t really see Peter Negroponte (another co-founder) on drums, but he did sing backing vocals a lot. (more…)

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Just Mustard (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, May 29, 2026)

Posted in Johnny Brenda's, Just Mustard, Miss Grit, Philadelphia, PA on May 30, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 29, 2026] Just Mustard

I saw Just Mustard open for Fontaines D.C. back in 2022 and they were amazing. They are a five piece band from Dundalk, Ireland.  They make a fantastic noisy mess of shoegaze combined with a wall of noise and singer Katie Ball’s droney vocals.

The band exuded seriousness and they were exceptional musicians.  Drummer Shane Maguire played some amazing and unexpected fills and when he hit the snare hard (which wasn’t always) it cracked to attention. I was right under guitarist David Noonan, who made an amazing array of noises.  Many sounded like guitars, many more did not.  And he was LOUD.

Next to Katie was bassist Rob Clarke who held the whole thing together.   He played simple (sometimes two note) melodies that were absolutely essential to the rest of the band.  And next to him on the far side of the stage was guitarist Mete Kalyon who played a lot of rhythmic sounds (not so much rhythm guitar as rhythmic sounds–his playing was very percussive.  He also generated really cool noises and the music was mixed so that all of the noise came from all over the place.

They opened the show with the noise and really never let up.   Endless Deathless has some squealing guitars–a catchy melody played with sharp sounds.  The drums were fast, the bass was fast and Katie’s vocals were slow and almost soothing.  And that was the pattern for the 75 minute set.

David’s pedals array was dynamic and he used it throughout–I often saw him twisting knobs and tapping buttons–usually while playing the noises.

The fascinating thing is watching Katie–while all of the sounds are looping around the room and she’s not singing, she stands, expressionless, not even tapping to the beat.  It’s unsettling.  Although when she plays the tambourine (from time to time) her rhythm is perfect.

I loved on Seven the simple rumbling bassline and Katie’s quiet vocals occasionally interrupted by almost machine-like waves of guitar.  And then, midway through the song, everything shifted as David pressed his left hand down on the strings near the pickup and played a melodic but percussive clicking, while Mete played more of those machine-like sounds and the whole band just exploded into sound–tension and explosion over and over in one song.

Despite the noise there were many moments that were really quiet–almost shoegazey.  This was especially evident when Katie sang in her quiet style over the waves of sound with only a simple bass line keeping the song on track.  A song like I am You is even creepier since Katie’s voice is almost childlike/ghostly, softly singing “I am you….”

Although I really enjoyed watching David, I was utterly transfixed by Shane Maguire, who almost refused to play bass/snare/bass/snare.  For some songs he played a rhythm on the toms (check out That I Might Not See which only has snare for one section of the song), for others he played all the toms in a row for nearly the whole song.  He hit the rim of the drums, he used some of the cymbals.  It was so interesting and made the song so vibrant.

I don’t know if I realized David was singing as well last time I saw them (he was on the far side of the stage and not visible to me).  I almost didn’t realize he was singing tonight because his microphone was almost literally above my head.  But I did hear a voice that wasn’t coming from Katie and looked up and there he was singing lead on a couple of songs.  And on Deaf he unleashed some serious throat-shredding screams.

There were a couple of genuinely quieter, more conventional songs, like Dandelion (which people around me were excited to hear).  And Pigs opened quietly with a slow three note bass line and percussive sounds from David.  Then Shane gave a drum fill and the noise squealed in (briefly) until returning to that slow quiet section.  I was amused that Rob had sunglasses on the whole time (and it was plenty dark already, how did he see anything?)  The quiet extended middle had Shane playing solely on the rim of the snare drum for a few bars.

Pollyanna was even more fascinating because Rob played a rumble of notes and then generated feedback–and that was the rhythm of the song.  It was fun to watch the stoic bassist creating this wall of feedback.  They played a couple of songs that I had heard last time, like Seven and I am You.  I can’t say I recognized them from four years ago, but there was something about the pulsing echo and two note “melody” of Still that seemed really familiar.  And it’s a song like this–with all kinds of noises going on that it’s remarkable you can hear Katie’s tambourine near the end.

Seed seems like the perfect set ender for them.  As soon as the song started, Mete put down his guitar and started playing with his pedals.  Midway through the song, Rob did the same thing.  By the end everyone was just manipulating noises into walls of feedback.  A crushing end to an intense set.  So glad they came back to Philly.

 

2026 2022
Endless Deathless ⇓ Seven §
Silver ⇓ I am You ♥
Out of Heaven ⇓ Mirrors ♥
Seven § Tainted ϖ
I Am You ♥ Frank §
Deaf ϖ Still ♥
Frank § Seed ♥
Dandelion ⇓
That I Might Not See ⇓ possibly played
Pigs ϖ Curtains ϖ
The Steps ⇓
Pollyanna ⇓
Still ♥
We Were Just Here ⇓
Seed ♥

⇓ WE WERE JUST HERE (2025)
♥ Heart Under (2022)
§ single (2019)
ϖ Wednesday (2018)

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Miss Grit (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, May 29, 2026) [JUST MUSTARD]

Posted in Johnny Brenda's, Just Mustard, Miss Grit, Philadelphia, PA on May 29, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 29, 2026] Miss Grit

I saw Miss Grit open for Metric back in 2022.  At that show it was Miss Grit with a guitar and a guy with a keyboard.  She sounded a but like early, noisy St. Vincent, with lots of cool guitar sounds.

Here it is four years later.  Miss Grit was by herself on stage, but still with a guitar.  She had all of her backing music on various machines and she played and sang along.  These songs were of a different vibe than the previous show.  These songs were a bit more dancey.  Abut more electronic (kind of like St. Vincent’s later work, actually).  Although the person she most reminded me of was Mitski with her quiet vocals.

There was a guy in front of me who was very theatrical (and he was happy to tell you just how theatrical he was).  He was there just for Miss Grit, I believe and took lots of pictures, including a several of him with her behind him.  He was a character for sure, but I found him a bit much.

Anyhow, Miss Grit had set up a camera so that there were multiple images of her behind her on screen. It wasn’t much, but it was a cool effect.

It turns out she played only songs from her most recent album Under My Umbrella (last time it was all songs from her Follow the Cyborg album, which hadn’t com out yet).  The only thing weird about this format is that most of the songs had minimal guitar.  She played on every song, but the melody was mostly on the backing tracks.  Nothing wrong with that, but her guitar skills are really good, so it’s a shame they were underutilized (like new St. Vincent).

The slower, moodier Where is My Head was very cool sounding.  Although the songs all had a similar feel.

When she started Waste Me, a bunch of people responded excitedly, so maybe that was a single?  It was a little catchier, but not radically different from the other songs.

It was a chill set, especially given how noisy Just Mustard was,. but I enjoyed it and was glad to see her again.

 

2026 2022
Tourist Mind ∇ Perfect Blue ⇔
Mind Disaster ∇ Your Eyes Are Mine ⇔
It Feels Like ∇ Nothing’s Wrong ⇔
Where Is My Head? ∇ Lain (phone clone) ⇔
Stranger ∇ Buffering ⇔
You Will Change ∇ Follow the Cyborg ⇔
Waste Me ∇ Syncing ⇔
Like You ⇔

∇ Under My Umbrella (2026) [did not play Won’t Count on You and Overflow]
⇔ Follow the Cyborg (2023) [did not play 사이보그를 따라와and The End]

 

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