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Lord Sko (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 3, 2025) [DELTRON 3030]

Posted in Dan the Automator, Del the Funky Homosapien, Deltron 3030, Kid Koala, Lealani, Lord Sko, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on October 3, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 3, 2025] Lord Sko

When this show was announced–Deltron 3030 playing their debut front to back– I grabbed two tickets immediately.  I grabbed one for my son because even though he didn’t know the album, I assumed he’d enjoy the show.

In addition to enjoying his company, I enjoy picking him up on the way to Philly because it usually means we can get there super early.  Which we did–although traffic was a little heavier than I expected.  But we had time to get food at La Chinesca.  And, lo and behold Kid Koala was sitting there two tables away.  I was going to say hi, but with the cane I am not subtle or fast.  So I assumed he would walk past us and I’d say hi then; but he went out a different way.  Waah wahh.

I had looked at the previous show and they were done by around 10:20, which was great because we were going to grab churros (yum!) for the ride home.  However, the previous show did not have the extra opening act, Lord Sko.

I was expecting Kid Koala to come out to his turntables.  But instead, a person came out with a laptop and got us hyped up for Lord Sko.

His logo reminded me of Newport cigarette ads. And moments later he came out.  He had on a big winter hat with ear flaps.  You could barely see his face but you could see his long hair.  And you could hear him quite clearly.  I always think it’s weird when an opening act whom I assume few have heard of, tries to get the crowd hyped up by yelling at us to put our hands up.  I mean, have man, the bar is low, but you have to earn the love.

Anyway, he began rapping and his flow was really good.  Hiphopdx said of him

A true student of the culture, his sound is nostalgic yet fresh, fearless yet effortless. From standout tracks to a fire 2025 project, he’s building momentum fast. Hip Hop heads — don’t sleep on this one

There was some technical difficulties with the laptop, but Sko handled it very well.  He even did a freestyle while the laptop rebooted.

I cam away from his set with respect for the guy (who is like 20) and I’d happily see him again.

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The Mountain Goats: Free at Noon (World Cafe Live, Philadelphia, PA, October 3, 2025)

Posted in Free at Noon, Philadelphia, PA, The Mountain Goats, World Cafe Live, WXPN 88.5 FM--Philadelphia, PA on October 3, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 3, 2025] The Mountain Goats

I have wanted to see The Mountain Goats for years–pretty much ever since my friend Andrew introduced me to them (with burnt CD copies of albums).  I finally got to see them this summer while playing with Guster and that was great.  I had no idea that the band had so much fun up there and I really enjoyed their set (as I figured I would).

So when they announced this Free at Noon, I jumped at the ticket.  Sure I had just seen them two months ago, but they were great and I wanted more!

I walked in and the usher suggested I sit in the ADA section.  I didn’t want to, as I like being closer, but the crowd was big and rather tall, so I grabbed a seat and happened to be right next to the very Andrew who introduced me to them.  It makes sense that he would be there (he said the same about me) and it was a fun surprise.

The band came out and started with one of my favorite Mountain Goats songs, The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton.  I cannot believe that the song is 25 years old!

I actually wondered how many different songs I’d hear compared to the summer’s set.  Well, it was mostly the same, but of the nine songs they played, there were three that they didn’t play this summer.

But, it was also really fun to know the other songs.  I had really enjoyed Bones Don’t Rust last time and I really really liked Broken to Begin With–a terrific song from the new album.

I really like seeing John Darnielle pogo during the instrumentals and bounce from one musician to the next smiling at the music they are playing–sometimes seeming maybe surprised by a move or another.

He explained that the new album is about a sinking ship (which he is on). Rocks in My Pockets is about it as is Great Pirates.  (more…)

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TWRP (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, October 1, 2025)

Posted in LAPD, Los Angeles Power Disco, Philadelphia, PA, TWRP, Underground Arts on October 2, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 1, 2025] TWRP


My son and I saw TWRP open for Magic Sword back in 2023 and we loved them.  We saw them again when they headlined.  And they’re the reason I went to Ninja Sex Party (they opened the show and were NSP’s backing band).

And here they were playing Underground Arts!  They were originally supposed to play World Cafe Live but because of a shakeup at the venue, TWRP and several other bands abandoned WCL for other venues.  I love Underground Arts but I think WCL would have suited my purposes better (much better sight lines).

I arrived later than I intended and the place was packed.  So instead of being on the barrier, I was back a ways behind a whole bunch of tall people.  After the first two songs I moved back and off to the side.  Not the best view but better than what I had and I could see most of the band just fine.

The previous times that I’ve seen them, they were on pretty big stages, so it was interesting to see them crammed into the small UA stage.  But they did fine with it and I was pleased that Phobos the guitarist was always near the front of the stage so he wasn’t hidden by the big pole.

All of the fun aspects of TWRP were in place.  Dr Sung on his hoverboard, Dr Sung bragging about his awesomeness and the rest of the band keeping him in check.

This tour’s theme was a weekend camping trip.  There were leaves and things around the stage and the whole conceit that they were camping was on full display.

They opened with a new song (and a new chant: party party party party).  I haven’t listened to much of the new album.  They played 4 songs from it but they did not get rid of crowd faves like Bright Blue Sky (so much fun to sing along to) and of course Atomic Karate (even in this small area he was able to do his high kicks (baby) and use the nunchaku.

The segues into each song are always fun, like when he talks about all of the potential in the room as a warm up to Human Potential. (more…)

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LAPD [Los Angeles Power Disco] (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, October 1, 2025) [TWRP]

Posted in LAPD, Los Angeles Power Disco, Philadelphia, PA, TWRP, Underground Arts on October 1, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 1, 2025] LAPD 

I was super excited for this show.  I wanted to get there early and get right up front for TWRP.  But I guess everyone else did too.  So I didn’t get a close spot at all.  I was annoyed by the people in front of me since they cut in at the least second and blocked about six shorter people.

The only consolation is that they were playing Weird Al as house music–which is a little weird since TWRP are funny, but aren’t comedy music.  But whatever, we all enjoyed it.

I’d never heard of Los Angeles Power Disco before this show.  The name was pretty funny (especially abbreviated LAPD).

The band came out on the tint stage and the trio crowded right up front.  There was a guitarist and a keyboard/bass/guitar player, and there was singer/guitarist Sarah Rayne.

Rayne had been in the band Cobra Man which played what they called Los Angeles Power Disco.  Then Cobra Man broke up very acrimoniously and Sarah took the name LAPD.

There was no drummer and honestly I don’t even know if the two guys on stage are part of LAPD or are touring musicians (LAPD has five songs out on Bandcamp, all released in 2025).

Sarah was dressed in a sequined unitard and was super interactive with the crowd.  I didn’t love the spot where I was (or the three tall people who jumped in front of us at the last second), so I couldn’t fully see what she was doing, but I know at one point she climbed on the barrier (holding hands with someone up front) and proceeded to high five and have people sing along to “Your. Time. To. Burn.” (more…)

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Pool Kids (House of Independents, Asbury Park, NJ, September 22, 2025)

Posted in Asbury Park, NJ, House of Independents, Pony, Pool Kids, Truth Club on September 24, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 22, 2025] Pool Kids

This was my third time seeing Pool Kids.  I really like their mix of punky alt rock and really cool guitar shredding (so much finger tapping).  I saw them headline at a small place in Philly and they blew the roof off (with singer Christine Goodwyne crowd surfing at the end).

Since I last saw them the put out a new album.  And they played 8 (of 11) songs from it.  They opened with a new song and then immediately jumped back to their previous album

The opening riff to That’s Physic Baby is a mastercalss in cool guitar riffage–sounding like an old school metal intro.  Both Goodwyne and second guitarist Andy Anaya shred impressively with lots of fingertapping.  Anaya seems to add a few extra flourishes while Goodwyne gets back to singing.  The end is a dramatic moment where the chorus telling you what I, telling you what I need, is repeated but at the end the song drops off and she screams (and we all scream along) NEED!

Vocalist/guitarist Christine Goodwyne was fun with a powerful voice that held high notes and also screamed with rage.  She and second guitarist played some great harmony solos together too.

A group chat with goddamn 21 people I wish I was joking but I’m not.

They played one song from their debut (the wonderfully named $5 Subtweet) which has a total progressive rock vibe with a fast riff opening and some complicated intertwining moments.

The new album has a lot more going on–synths, quieter moments, even an AutoTune on the first song).  But there’s still plenty of Pool Kids sound–loud vocals and gorgeous guitar work on Last Word.  But they moved back to another of my favorite songs of their “I Hope You’re Right” with the chorus “You wanna start a fight” which is super fun to sing along to.

I also need to mention bassist Nicolette Alvarez who plays some amazingly complicated parts and adds a lot of backing vocals (which I don’t think she did on the previous album).  Drummer Caden Clinton makes a lot of noise on a fairly small drum kit.  He plays interesting rhythms and different parts of the kit to bring a really full (and dare I say kind of proggy component) to the songs.

After playing most of their bigger songs, they played three new songs.  Sorry Not Sorry is a slower song (where Alvarez’ backing vocals really shone).  Easier Said Than Done is also slower (with soft backing vocals from Anaya).  These songs are all a bit more conventional. but they retain a lot of makes Pool Kids interesting.

Then we were encouraged to sing along to the next song because we all knew it.  Conscious Uncoupling is the first song I heard by them and I loved everything about it–the soft to loud vocals, the cool guitar sounds and the big explosive chorus.

For one of the ending songs, Goodwyne put down her guitar and jumped into the crowd.  The guy next to me had been singing along all night and she ran up to him and they sang a line together.  Later from on the stage she called him over to shout a line with her and he was clearly thrilled.  There wasn’t a large crowd–I felt bad for them, although it was a Monday night–and there was even a small “pit” available because I was standing a little back from the people up front (the sound isn’t very good when you’re right on the stage).  She bounced around and then some short person slammed into her really hard.  She bounced off and seemed game for more.  So they bounced off each other a few more times and then she climbed back on stage.

They ended and it was still about 9:45 (I assuming 10PM curfew).  On their other nights they had been adding an encore and when they left the stage they put their guitars down on the stage in the “we’ll be right back” gesture.  But then the house music came on and it seemed like they weren’t coming back.  But the crowd started a “one more song” chant (again, what happened to encore), and after a few minutes, they came back.  Goodwyne apologized to the sound guy saying they weren’t planning on coming back out.  It may be the first genuinely earned encore I’ve ever been a part of.

They played Swallow, a great song with lots of finger tapping guitar–it’s really fun when Goodwyne and Ayana face each other in a little guitar battle.  It was a great and cathartic end to the show and they were done by 10!

The show was great and I was in for a surprise at the end of the show.  As I was heading up the stairs, two young women were walking down and said my name.  I looked up confused until they revealed that they were the daughters of one of my college friends.  I hadn’t seen them in about five or six years and I don’t know how they recognized me (something about knowing I liked this band and they asked their parents what I looked like to see if I was there).

Turns out they are huge fans of the band and drove 3 hours to see them!  They may also drive down to Philly on Thursday to see them again.  It was great to see them and I immediately texted their mom–it had been too long–and we caught up.

 

House of Independents 2025 Ukie Club 2023 Rooftop 2023 (open for PUP)
Tinted Windows € Swallow Swallow ¶
Arm’s Length That’s Physics, Baby That’s Physics, Baby ¶
That’s Physics, Baby Erso ⊗ $5 Subtweet ⊗
$5 Subtweet⊗ $5 Subtweet⊗ Arm’s Length ¶
Which is Worse? € Further ¶ I Hope You’re Right ¶
Last Word € Comes in Waves ¶ Conscious Uncoupling ¶
I Hope You’re Right I Hope You’re Right Talk Too Much ¶
Sorry Not Sorry € Pathetic ¶
Bad Bruise € Arm’s Length
Easier Said Than Done € Conscious Uncoupling
Conscious Uncoupling Talk Too Much
Leona Street € encore
Talk Too Much Borerline ⊗
Exit Plan €
encore
Swallow

€ Easier Said Than Done (2025)
¶ Pool Kids (2022)
⊗ Music to Practice Safe Sex To (2018)

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Truth Club (House of Independents, Asbury Park, NJ, September 22, 2025) [POOL KIDS]

Posted in Asbury Park, NJ, House of Independents, Pony, Pool Kids, Truth Club on September 23, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 22, 2025] Truth Club

I saw Truth Club open for Indigo de Souza last year and I really liked their set a lot.

It was pretty obvious that there was a curfew in place because the bands changed pretty quickly (they were using the same drum set so that helped).  Truth Club came out and opened with a song from their debut album.

Unlike Pony, they played many of the same songs (the don’t have a new album yet, but they do have a bunch of new songs).

I definitely enjoy their second album more than their debut–there’s a lot more dynamics going on.  77x starts slow but in an interesting, lurching way.

And here’s what I loved about them last time and this time.  Singer Travis Harrington plays guitar as well and he plays the basic chord structure.  But in these first few songs, guitarist Yvonne Chazal made some really interesting sounds.  They played lots of high chords and single notes.  They bent the notes and made really interesting textures.  It wasn’t always clear what sounds were coming out, but it made the whole thing feel bigger.

After a couple of songs Yvonne switched instruments with bassist Kam Vann.  If I had to guess I’d say that Kam might be the full time lead guitarist because he was pushing the sounds further than Yvonne did.  He played loud hard chords, but also played some solos and added extra sounds.

And really it’s the song creations from Truth Club that I like so much.  There’s a lot of loud/quiet shifts, but there’s also odd time signatures (for one of the songs Travis counted in to 6).  (more…)

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Pony (House of Independents, Asbury Park, NJ, September 22, 2025) [POOL KIDS]

Posted in Asbury Park, NJ, House of Independents, Pony, Pool Kids, Truth Club on September 22, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 22, 2025] Pony

I saw Pony open for Fucked Up about 3 years ago.  I didn’t know them before the show, but I really enjoyed them.  Pop punk energy (like Beach Bunny but a little rougher around the edges).  I was pretty psyched about this lineup.  Three bands I knew and liked.  So I wanted to make sure I arrived early enough for Pony.

The show said 7:30, I strolled in around 7:15 and they were already on!  And apparently had been since 7.  So I only got to see a few songs, but it was enough to know that they still kick butt and I would happily see them again.

Interestingly, their recorded output is far more poppy than their on stage performance.

Pony is from Toronto and is fronted by Sam Bielanski who plays guitar and sings.  She is also a voice actress and voiced Jazz in My Little Pony: Tell Your Tale (hence the band name).  I can’t find a ton of information about the band, but I’m guessing that Matty Morand is an important part of the band.  He played (really cool) guitars at this show.

I don’t know if she played guitar for this set as she wasn’t when I came in and didn’t pick one up.  But her intensity is amazing.  And, she was super nice after the show.

The setlist was almost entirely different from the previous show as they have released two albums since then.  I really would have enjoyed seeing more of this set.

 

2025 [Pool Kids] 2022 [Fucked Up]
Superglue § WebMD ™
Peach ∇ Couch ™
Freezer ¼ Furniture ™
Sucker Punch ∇ Très Jolie ∇
Sick ∇ Sometime Later ™
Middle of Summer § My Room ™
Every Little Crumb ¼ Did It Again ∇
Très Jolie ∇ Chokecherry ™

§ single (2025)
¼ single (2024)
∇ Velveteen (2023)
™ TV Baby (2021)

 

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PUP (Fillmore Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, September 17, 2025)

Posted in Alanis Morissette, Ekko Astral, Jeff Rosenstock, Philadelphia, PA, PUP, The Fillmore Philadelphia on September 21, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 17, 2025] PUP

My son and I have seen Pup twice and have enjoyed both shows immensely.  I assume I’ll want to see them whenever they come around because they are so much fun.

This was the first time we were fairly close to the stage (we were one person from the barricade at the beginning of the night, although by the end we had been pushed around a bit.  And indeed, my son jumped in the pity later in the night.

This was a busy bill–3 bands, with Jeff Rosenstock playing an hour.  I was really impressed with the efficiency of the night (are you listening Wet Leg?).  15 minutes between Jeff Rosenstock leaving the stage and Pup taking over.

I realized that I hadn’t listened all that much to their new album, which was not a great plan going into a tour for the new album.  All Pup songs are catchy and fun, so it doesn’t really matter if you don’t know them–except that when you know them you can sing/scream at the top of your voice.

But it wasn’t all new songs at all.  They opened with a new song (the opening song of the album). (more…)

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Jeff Rosenstock (Fillmore Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, September 17, 2025) [PUP]

Posted in Alanis Morissette, Ekko Astral, Jeff Rosenstock, Philadelphia, PA, PUP, The Fillmore Philadelphia on September 20, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 17, 2025] Jeff Rosenstock

So I didn’t really know Jeff Rosenstock. I’d heard of him and I knew t hat he had done a lot of work with PUP AND I knew that people loved him, but he had completely slipped my radar.

But when he and his band came out, they were a ton of fun right from the get go.  And the crowd went bananas for them.

And he was very funny too.  Wearing orange shorts with a pink dye job on his hair (he said he had done it just before the show and it was still dripping down his neck).

They came out to the Friends theme and Jeff immediately told us to get to know the people around us.  But if we saw some fucking moron grope someone or get in someone’s face, get some other nice person and get that moron outta here.

And as one blurb says, the set was filled with fan favorites, singalongs, and chaos. (more…)

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Ekko Astral (Fillmore Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, September 17, 2025) [PUP]

Posted in Alanis Morissette, Ekko Astral, Jeff Rosenstock, Philadelphia, PA, PUP, The Fillmore Philadelphia on September 19, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 17, 2025] Ekko Astral

We arrived at the venue plenty early and were right up near the barrier.  There was a giant “american” flag on stage, except the stripes were rainbow colored, the stars were pot leaves and the middle of the blue field said 666.  Amazing.

I had wanted to see Ekko Atral open for Ted Leo but I was late for that show.  So I was really psyched to be able to see them so soon.  And they were very clear about the rules: no bigotry of any kind would be tolerated.

And wow, what an opening.  We were right in front of bassist and singer Jael Holzman.  She was amazing and intense. Across the stage was guitarist Liam Hughes and he played the kind of noise guitar that I had to wonder how one even thinks of making sounds like that–and how he knew they would work so well.

On drums was Miri Tyler, playing loud and fast and acting almost like a distortion pedal for the overall sound. (more…)

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