[DID NOT ATTENDED: July 31, 2026] Ted Leo and the Pharmacists / Cult Objects / DJ Major Taylor
We were going on vacation the day after this show. But since I knew we couldn’t leave super early and since Garwood isn’t that far, I figured I’d go to this show and see Ted Leo again. I had gotten to see him solo back in November, but I haven’t seen his full band in a long time. About half way to Garwood I suddenly didn’t really feel like going to a show. Not sure what happened. I started thinking about how I like Crossroads but it can be a real pain in the ass for parking and other things. And then when I got there, the parking was a nightmare. I was already running late and just got fed up with the whole thing, so I never even stopped the car, just turned around and went home. The only other time I’ve done that was at a King Gizzard show in Philly at the Dell, where it was already super late and there was no parking to be had.
So I feel bad for not seeing Ted; however, he is playing in Ardmore later in October and I’m sure the set will be similar enough that I won’t feel like I missed anything major.
Although I will have missed DJ Major Taylor. I never really know what to expect from a DJ when they are listed on the bill. I’ve been to shows where the DJ played the music between sets-so it is curated rather than just whatever is on the venue’s playlist. But I can’t say it’s ever that big a deal. DJ Major Taylor says of himself: 5 decades of sonic offerings from sci-fi cinema & TV (theme songs, scores & deep cuts ) Which I find interesting to be sure. And listening to some of his Soundcloud, he does mix some fun things together, but surely he wouldn’t have his own set, right?
Cult Objects is a Philly based band (surely they should have opened for someone else I know by now). About their new album, they wrote “Our mission for this album was to make a scrappy post punk record from 1982 that, if played next to ESG or Bush Tetras, would sound like they were recorded in the same studio weeks apart. Hope you enjoy!” I actually don’t know Bush Tetras, although I feel like I should. But I can hear how they are coming from that direction (listen to Too Many Creeps). Having said that, I prefer Cult Objects’s overall sound. I hear a bit more 4AD in the overall sound. The band is Vocals / Guitar : Lauren Leilani Iona; Bass: Larissa Sapko; Guitar / Synth: Ande Ciampa; Drums / Percussion: Charlotte Anne Dole.
If you’re not sure about a band, but Ted Leo has them open for him, you know they’re going to be good.
When I see Ted in October, I wonder if his setlist will be like this:
- M¥ Vien iLin
- The Sons of Cain
- Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone?
- The Angels’ Share
- Even Heroes Have to Die
- Can’t Go Back
- Too Bright Window
- La Costa Brava
- Me and Mia
- Heart Problems
- The Clearing of the Land
- How Can I Tell You It’s Not Fair
- Counting Down the Hours
- A Bottle of Buckie
- January Song
- Little Dawn
- The Gold Finch and the Red Oak Tree
- Walking to Do
- Stove by a Whale
I Just Read About That... 