[DID NOT ATTEND: September 18, 2026] Cheekface / Apes of the State / Sad 13
I saw Cheekface on a whim in 2023 and loved the show so much I couldn’t wait to see them again. They have been back to Philly three times somnce then and I have been unable to see them. Ugh.
Tonight’s show was the same night as the Bikini Kill show that my wife and I had tickets to. I really wanted to get to this show, but there was just no way–unless Bikini Kill cancelled (which they didn’t). They seem to tour annually, so I guess I’ll have to wait until next year to try again.
Apes of the State play folk punk and are from Lancaster, PA. I feel like I’ve heard of them before, although I can’t find any evidence of that. They play acoustic folk music but at a breakneck speed. And with very pointed lyrics (as folk tends to do). Somehow the speed makes these songs way more fun.
But even their slow songs are spot on
Now I’m not a stranger to being let down
By political movements that die on the ground
But all of those failures they don’t hold a flame
To July 13th ‘24 in Butler, PAOh Thomas Oh Thomas
You let us all down
We could have had Donald Trump slumped on the ground
Now instead we have ICE agents all over town
Oh Thomas how you let us downBut we must let his failure be an inspiring tale
And we must take shots even though we might fail
Cause once in a while those shots they do land
And violence is the language fascists understandOh Charlie Oh Charlie
Died of direct hit
Taken out by the same bitter hatred he spit
When we speak in a tongue they understand
It defies the boundaries of classes and landAnd fascists only speak violence
Fascists only speak violence
They don’t back down to spoken word or acts of kindness
No fascists they only speak violence
Sad13 is the side project of Sadie Dupuis of Speedy Ortiz. It’s her more experimental side. Her songs aren’t mellow folkie songs (as the band name kind of suggests) but rather they are weird experimental songs with sound effects and fascinating noises. On her new album, the longest song is 1:48. She opened for a show I wanted to get to but couldn’t back in July. Back then I wrote: I’m not dying to see this incarnation, but I do hope she is opening for someone one of these days. So she did, but I couldn’t make it, yet again (which is kind of funny since I’ve seen Speedy Ortiz 5 times).
I Just Read About That... 