[DID NOT ATTEND: April 26, 2019] Girlpool / Hatchie / Shannen Moser
I first heard Girlpool back in 2015. I loved the way the two members of the band sang, but not in harmony–it was more like in unison. It gave them almost a childlike quality that somehow made their songs really impactful.
Plus, their music was very spare–it was unusual amid a field of similar sounding bands.
I had wanted to see them live since then. When they came around in 2017, I had a ticket and then a last minute plan meant I couldn’t go.
Now they came back, but we were on vacation.
Since that first album, though, Avery Tucker has transitioned and now their voice is much lower than it was. So they can’t sing the songs the way they did.
I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to see them now. But the issue was moot anyway.
Hatchie is a singer that I want to see. I was supposed to see her in 2018 but that show fell through.
Shannen Moser is from Berks County, PA. She plays a simple kind of open-tuned guitar (such that a capo is all you need to make a chord sound good). Some of her songs have a finger-picking section as well.
I’ll actually be seeing her open for John K. Samson and Kevin Devine in a few weeks.
There’s a full review of the show from 34th Street. I’m posting some highlights.
I did not have high expectations for the first opener, Philadelphia local Shannen Moser. She, however, blew me away. Supported only by a cello, Moser filled the cavernous venue with her powerful voice and haunting lyrics. ָAlthough quite different genre–wise than the following acts, she still managed to win over the gathering crowd. It was not a large group at this point, but those who were there were very engaged. … folk simplicity at its finest.
Next came direct support, Hatchie, the project of Australian singer and bassist, Harriette Pilbeam. Pilbeam and her band exuded an effortless cool on stage without taking themselves too seriously. Her sultry vocals sounded natural and graceful. The music itself felt like an amalgam of surfy pop–y summery grunge. What surprised me the most, however, was how many people came out just for Hatchie. I talked to several fans after their set who said they didn’t even know who Girlpool was—they had only come for Hatchie. All of them had a similar story: they found her on Spotify through their Weekly Discover playlist. Regardless, Hatchie now has a growing and devoted American following.
Girlpool is the project of Harmony Tividad and Cleo Tucker, but their touring ensemble swelled to include a second guitarist/bassist, a drummer, and a keys player. Throughout the set, Tividad, Tucker, and the guitarist/bassist switched instruments in a rather comical display of sharing. They focused their set on their newer material, especially their latest album, What Chaos Is Imaginary. This makes sense, given that Tucker came out in 2017 as transgender (Tucker now uses they/them pronouns), and has been undergoing hormonal therapy, which lowered their voice a full octave. As a result, they are now unable to sing many of Girlpool’s early hits. Tucker’s transition marked a sort of transition in the band’s sound. What was once sparse DIY has become a more ambiguous, effortless, ethereal soundscape that permeated the venue and delighted the crowd.
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