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Archive for the ‘Festivals’ Category

[ATTENDED: October 16, 2026] Wax Jaw

When this show was announced as part of Philly Music Week, I grabbed a ticket immediately.  Three of the four bands were bands I had either seen or wanted to see.  The only band I didn’t know was Midfield.

I have seen Wax Jaw twice, although I laugh at the number of times I haven’t seen them but could have (14 times).  I’m curious that each time I’ve seen them, they’ve played ten songs.  Huh.

So they were the headliners of the side stage and they exploded onto the stage with Lace Up.  Within moments, guitarist George Fenton was on the floor getting a mosh pit going!

One thing I’ve always enjoyed about the Wax Jaw printed setlist is that between songs, they write things which they (sometimes) say to the audience.  Like after the first song, Shane Morgan said, as was printed “I like to see the pit going crazy, just don’t be a creep” (as an intro to Creepshow).

So they played three songs from their 2025 album, which I actually didn’t know that well, even though I was obsessed with their debut EP.  The new album is also really good–punkier and more diverse–I just missed it entirely somehow–along with half a dozen shows.

The setlist notes that Bite the Apple was a new song and then says that they just got back from Europe, so buy some merch. They had new merch, but I didn’t love any of it. (more…)

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[ATTENDED: October 16, 2026] Remember Sports

When this show was announced as part of Philly Music Week, I grabbed a ticket immediately.  Three of the four bands were bands I had either seen or wanted to see.  The only band I didn’t know was Midfield.

I had seen Remember Sports just a few months ago when they headlined Kung Fu Necktie.  I feel like they should be a bigger band since WXPN was playing one of their songs a lot–and they were asked to do a Free at Noon today (I didn’t go since I was seeing them tonight).   I was surprised that they were going on when they were (2nd of 4).  But I never know if opening on the main stage is better than headlining the side stage.  I actually thought they might be bigger than Sweet Pill, but I was massively mistaken about that.

Nevertheless, they are such a dynamite live band.

It was much more crowded here than at KFN.  Like last time, I was in front of guitarist Jack Washburn who is really fun to watch–he played great solos and switched easily from noisy to quiet.   I could barely see bassist Catherine Dwyer who was in shadow for much of the set.  But like last time, she sang excellent backing vocals and in true bass player fashion, was chill and low key–she did make a joke about some basketball podcast being taped in Underground Arts, so she was geeking out about that.

Last time I couldn’t see drummer Connor Perry, but this time he was right up front too, and I was really impressive by his intensity–the songs aren’t super heavy or anything (well, a couple are) but he was a maniac behind the kit.

But really all attention is on singer/guitarist Carmen Perry.  She played an acoustic guitar for the first couple of songs and then switched to an electric for the rest.  Her voice is great with a lot of variety, including some really powerful screams.  But I’m amused every time she speaks between songs because she is so quiet and almost nervous–after belting out a song like Bug, she asks how everyone is doing and if they like living in Philly.   This isn’t as weird as it seems, it related to her saying that they had just come back from Europe and she asked what people think of when they think of Philly and the overwhelming answer is Cream Cheese!

Although their set didn’t differ radically from when I saw them, they did mix things up and only played 7 songs from the new album “We have a new album out.  We like it.”

They played five songs from the new album–a great mix of tempos and intensities.  Then they dipped into some older songs, one from their previous EP and one from their debut album.  But they also played three older songs that they didn’t play last time.

Pinky Ring from their last full length and then two from an album they didn’t touch when I saw them last time, 2015’s All of Something.  Reality TV, a fast punky song and Washing Machine, a sweet gently rocking song.  They ended with Cut Fruit, a track with a noisy intro (again, Washburn does great things with noise and feedback) that turns into a simple, catchy song.  It was a perfect, compact set.

They set was short, and it was great, except for the trio of (presumably drunk), really obnoxious guys who were shouting to each other through most of the songs.  What the heck?  And no one said anything to them (they were pretty intimidating looking, I will admit) and I made sure to avoid them going forward.

 

October 2026 (Underground Arts) Feb 2026 (Kung Fu Necktie)
Ghost ® Across The Line ®
Across The Line ® Bug ®
Yowie ® Thumb ®
Bug ® Tiny Planets Π
Thumb ® You’re So Sorry Π
Leap Day £ Cut Fruit ®
Tiny Planets Π Selfish ®
Pinky Ring ♣ Ghost ®
Nevermind ® Fridge ®
Reality TV ⊗ Yowie ®
The Washing Machine ⊗ Calling Out §
Cut Fruit ® Easy ♣
Zucchini ®
Soothe/Seethe ®
Nevermind ®
Leap Day £
Out Loud ♣

 

® The Refrigerator (2026)
£ Leap Day EP (2022)
♣  Like a Stone (2021)
§ Slow Buzz (2018)
⊗ All of Something (2015)
Π SPORTS (2013)

 

 

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[ATTENDED: October 15, 2026] Midfield

When this show was announced as part of Philly Music Week, I grabbed a ticket immediately.  Three of the four bands were bands I had either seen or wanted to see.  The only band I didn’t know was Midfield.

Turns out they are a pop punk band from Philly.  Their songs are catchy and a lot of fun.  The band was great and their singer Matt Kelly has a strong deeper voice but he occasionally adds a falsetto.

I wasn’t clear how many people knew them, although there were two guys standing next to me who knew all of their songs really well.  There was also a mosh pit but only a few solo dudes were dancing in it.

They played seven songs in 30 minutes and if the guys next to me were an indication, the last song is their biggest.  I really enjoyed them, as pop punk is my latest jam and I’d happily see them again.

  1. Southpaw ∇
  2. Battle Scars §
  3. Nothing Changes §
  4. Fishtown and Down ∇
  5. Some Way Some How §
  6. Tidal Wave ∇
  7. Out of Time ∇

§ single (2026)
∇ Midfield (2024)

 

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[ATTENDED: October 15, 2026] The Dillinger Escape Plan

When this show was announced as part of Philly Music Week, I grabbed a ticket immediately.  I had seen The Dillinger Escape Plan ten years ago when the opened for Mastodon and it was one of the most memorable shows I’ve seen–even if I was very far away and it was so loud I had to leave my spot to buy earplugs.

They have only played Philly twice since that show.  Once a couple months later at Union Transfer and once two years ago at FMH again.  shouted out Philly venues they played when they were first starting out, especially Stalag 13 (which I’ve never heard of but was a legendary DIY punk location 1996-1999 apparently).

Speaking of Philly Music Fest, a festival that is nominally about Philly music, The Dillinger Escape Plan are (proudly one might say) from New Jersey.  But that’s okay and lead singer Dimitri Minakakis shouted all of the people in Philly who have seen them at so many clubs along the way (he listed a whole bunch).

They opened with the noisy sounds of *#.. and then splashed right into the incoherent screams of Destro’s Secret.  And the place exploded.  I didn’t realize (and coudln’t really tell since I don’t know the album very well) but they played three songs in a row from Calculating Infinity (just not from the start of the album).  For all of the speed and chaos, DEP is tight as anything.  They way they shifted from chaos to quiet in The Running Board was really impressive.

I didn’t realize that this show was going to be basically a Calculating Infinity tour.  They played the entire album as well as the EP they released before the album, Under the Running Board.

The midsection with wild drumming and wild guitar of The Mullet Burden was incredible to hear live.  And then it was back to the album sequence with Clip the Apex, including the static and samples, and Calculating Infinity, a song that slowed things down for a couple of minutes and gave S a rest.  But wow, so much noise and chaos in about 15 minutes.

Minakakis took a break from time to time to address the crowd, thanking everyone for coming and for being with them all this time.

And it certainly didn’t stop there.  They jumped to the opening of the album, Sugar Coated Sour, and then back to Under the Running Board for Sandbox Magician. (more…)

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[DID NOT ATTEND: December 19-20, 2022] Champagne Jam 2025

Every year for quite some time, The Front Bottoms have been doing a Champagne Jam at the close of the calendar year.

I got tickets in 2022 but we didn’t go.  This year I didn’t plan on going although my daughter surprised me by saying she wanted to go to one of the days.  Then I explained what all was involved–that it wasn’t just a headliner and opener and she agreed that she didn’t want to deal with all that.

So who was there this year?  It was much smaller than the 2022 edition, which seemed to have several venues involved.  This one was just the Fillmore and the Foundry. (more…)

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[ATTENDED: September 28, 2025] Doechii-–All Things Go [Day 3]

Her stage was designed like an overgrown jungle.  A backdrop of trees and on the stage all kinds of greenery–trees and shrubs and platforms covered in green carpeting.  It looked great.

At long last Doechii came out on stage  She was wearing a gray blazer and crazy long white finger nails.

She stood on the tall platform and rapped her songs. I don’t know any of her songs and had no idea if she was doing one long song or (as was more likely and true) a whole bunch of short songs.

In between songs she hyped her DJ Miss Milan who hyped her back.  Doechii also showed off her moves, with wicked dancing.

Some of her beats were more fun for me than others.  I enjoyed Bitch I’m Nice, which had a great beat and interludes as well as fun interjections from her DJ Miss Milan.  Miss MIlan made me laugh because it seemed like she was primarily a hype person–“make some noise!”; “it’s Doechii!!”

There was quite a reaction for NISSAN ALTIMA.  Her platform lowered and she climbed down to stage level.  She took off her blazer and revealed a gray one-piece, which allowed her to shake her ass even more.

They played a sample of America Has a Problem (by Beyonce) and Doechii asked if she could freestyle (yes, she can).

Doechii then left the stage (I know it’s part of the act, but I couldn’t believe she left after ten minutes) and DJ Miss Milan took over getting hands in the air and asking if we had a good time.  Doechii came back pretty quickly–I assume to drop off her blazer–and returned for Alter Ego.  This one was a real banger. (more…)

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[ATTENDED: September 28, 2025] Ashe-–All Things Go [Day 3]

I had not  heard of Ashe either (apparently I was the only one who hadn’t).  She has put out several albums and has worked with some pretty major people (see below).

I was amused to discover that her album titles are her full name: Ashlyn, Rae, and  Willson.  What will she do next?

I really enjoyed her set and would happily see her again.  I need to check out her full albums.

Another Man’s Jeans sounded a bit like Sheryl Crowe–a jangly pop song with an oooooh bridge.

It segued right into Angry Woman with some really funny lyrics

Nobody likes an angry woman/I always say the things that I shouldn’t/Oh what a shame my tongue’s not tied/You can do whatever you want/I’ll do whatever I like.

It also had some really rocking guitars which I rather liked.  Emma Harvey played some killer solos.

When she sang The Little Mess You Made, someone handed her a present.  And someone else handed her a sash that read “Ashe things Go.”   Which she put on backwards (twice) before getting it right.  Turns out The Favors is a band that she formed with Billie Eilish’s brother Finneas, which  is why it is so damned catchy.  Apparently it came out last week. (more…)

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[ATTENDED: September 28, 2025] Rachel Chinouriri-–All Things Go [Day 3]

I had enjoyed Ashe and was really curious what Rachel Chinouriri would be like.  I hadn’t heard of her either, but I liked her style immediately.

She put has a lot of videos behind her–presumably ones for her music videos.

Her band was great–I really liked her lead guitarist.

The loud and quiet transitions in Cold Call were great.

I loved the whistle melody of It Is What It Is.  She had a really funny and enjoyable video that played behind her as she sang.  It was great.

A lot of people seemed to know her songs and sing along–plenty of hand waving during the chorus of 23:42.  She seemed really appreciative of her audience–both the fans who knew her and the brand new fans.  (more…)

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[ATTENDED: September 28, 2025] Peach PRC-–All Things Go [Day 3]

After Alemeda, Peach PRC came out.

I had never heard of her.  Obviously, I knew about the rapper Peaches, but this was not her.  I also didn’t understand what the PRC was all about.  (It’s an abbreviation for Porcelain which she felt was too long to type out on social media, huh).

She’s an Australian pop singer and I’m kind of blown away how many Australians play this festival (and how popular so many Australian bands are here…  I’m delighted).

So Peach PRC is a pure pop singer.  She was on stage with just her and a guitarist–the rest of the music was on backing tracks.  And her guitarist shredded like crazy–tons of energy, bouncing around–a perfect complement. (more…)

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[ATTENDED: September 28, 2025] All Things Go [Day 3]

And we woke up for Day 3.  A nice perk is that the hotel is next to a Royal Farms so I grabbed some fried chicken and their weird Chicken Palooza shirts (on sale for $5 since the Palooza was over).

This day proved to be very confusing because things were shuffled around.

Lola Young was supposed to perform but she got sick the day before and couldn’t make it (this was devastating to me as she was  the main person I wanted to see today).  And they switched where the final acts were going to perform.  DJO was supposed to play just before Kesha at the Pavilion stage and Doechii was supposed to headline the smaller stage.  They switched those two (I’m not sure who benefitted from that more).  But we didn’t find any of that out until we were there.

We headed over to the venue relatively early because we had to check out of the hotel.  I wanted to see Jasmine 4.T  because they opened for Lucy Dacus when we saw them but we arrived too late and missed their whole set.  So, typical, we arrived near the end of the 20 minute set today too.

They were playing at the Chrysalis Stage and it was really hot.  But some nice women shared their picnic tale with us (which was in the shade!) and we enjoyed watching the bands from there.

So we missed Molly Grace entirely since she was on the other stage.  As we were making plans for how to handle the rest of the day, they announced that Lola wouldn’t be there.  Some bands were moved to different stages and they announced that Doechii would be on the Pavilion Stage rather than the Chrysalis Stage.  My daughter was here for Doechii and we had pretty much planned to stay at the Chrysalis Stage all day to see her.  So that changed things too.

We stayed at Chrysalis stage to watch Peach PRC (who was famous for having a stripper pole as part of her set) and then we moseyed about getting food and checking merch and we grabbed some seats in the Pavilion just before Ashe came on.

I enjoyed how hard Maude LaTour rocked, but we did watch the videos of Griff and Marina.  And at our stage we saw Rachel Chinouriri and Role Model before Doechii came on. (more…)

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