[DID NOT ATTEND: February 12, 2025] TV on the Radio / Soul Glo
I loved the first three TV on the Radio albums. Not sure I ever listened to the other two (Acually I loved Happy Idiot, but probably don’t know anything else from that album). But that last album came out over ten years ago so I never thought they’d tour, especially since singer Tunde Adebimpe had just released a (very successful) solo album.
But holy cow when they announced this tour, I wanted in so badly! But it happened to be on the same night as The Swell Season, which my wife and I didn’t want to miss.
So I had to pass by TV on the Radio. Will they ever tour again? Who knows.
Soul Glo as the opening band added a frenetic tone that I wouldn’t have expected from TV on the Radio. They are a wild live band and I hope got more fans from this show.
I saw Touché Amoré open for Deafheaven last year and I knew I wanted to see them again as a headliner.
I was happy to see them at Union Transfer and I was happy that my son wanted to go with me. But a four-band night was a lot to ask. And having too much food for dinner and being way overdressed for a concert (it was cold out, but warm inside) meant that he didn’t enjoy the show as much as I hoped he would. And his unhappiness always mars a show for me.
And yet, Touché Amoré was amazing. My son admitted that even though he didn’t feel great, he was really impressed by them.
The band has a big, clean sound and singer Jeremy Bolm screaming the lyrics. The best thing about his screaming is that it is intense like old school punk, but it is completely clear. so the powerful lyrics really show through.
Like last time, for every last line of a verse or chorus he put the mic out for the audience to sing the last word or phrase. And they did.
I love the sound of the band–not too complicated–but every song has something interesting going on in it. Drummer Elliot Babin is a maniac behind the kit. And I loved that you could hear both guitarists Clayton Stevens and Nick Steinhardt very clearly. And bassist Tyler Kirby would punctuate songs with excellent thumping bass.
Some of their songs are really short. Art Official is about 90 seconds, and Nine is 45 seconds! (more…)
I had seen Soul Glo back in May and was happy to have seen them, but I didn’t think I needed to see them again. So their appearance on this bill was enjoyable for me mostly because I thought my son would really enjoy their set.
Like last time, there is no setlist written out online, although setlists from a few days earlier make it seem like they played a longer show for this concert (which I don’t think was true).
I was on the other side of the stage this time, closer to GG Guerra on guitar. But aside from that, the set was the same chaotic, wild fun.
Pierce Jordan has a pretty harsh voice–the better to scream the lyrics. I really couldn’t understand much of anything, but the tone was quite clear.
But he has great stage presence and did engage the audience in a speaking voice where he made the point of the songs pretty clear. (more…)
Portrayal of Guilt is a black metal band with an album called Christfucker. They are a growly/screamy band and they are heavy as anything.
So it was kind of funny to see the guys in the band wearing Tshirts and jeans and baseball hats and then growling in an inhuman way.
I also get a kick out of when a band that sings so growly then speaks pleasantly between songs.
This kind of music isn’t really my thing, but my son and I agreed that seeing a band like this is such a visceral experience that we were both glad to have seen them. He enjoyed them so much he bought a shirt.
I’m always happy to see a band like this open for someone (bring earplugs) and they were particularly good. (more…)
I invited my son to this show because I had seen Touché Amoré last year and they were fantastic. He was at school and I picked him up and we drove to Philly together. The plan was to get there really early and have dinner and then meander to the show. If we missed any bands, that was okay because I didn’t really know the other bands (except Soul Glo).
I had listened to Soft Blue Shimmer and really liked them and I was a little bummed if we’d missed them. But it turned out that our dinner was fairly quick and we arrived at Union Transfer in time to see almost the entire set from Soft Blue Shimmer (we may have missed one or two songs).
Given the rest of the bands on the tour, Soft Blue Shimmer seems like an outlier–their name is a great descriptor of their sound (while the other bands are pretty or very heavy). It’s a testament to Touché Amoré’s tastes that their openers were so varied.
The band is Charlie Crowley on guitar and vocals, Kenzo Cardenas on drums, and Meredith Ramond on vocals and bass. There was a fourth member at our show but I didn’t catch a name.
The setlist below is based on a show from the following night but seems pretty accurate.
Their songs are soft and shimmery, a delightful mix of shoegaze and pop. Both singers sound great together and the rest of the band fills out the sound nicely.
I would definitely see them again.
2024
9090 ♥
Chihiro ≅
Shinji ∅
Emerald Bells ≅
Memory/Fantasy ♥
Canti §
Love Being ♥
§ single (2024)
♥ Love Lives in the Body (2022)
≅ Heaven Inches Away (2020)
∅ Nothing Happens Here EP (2019)
I wasn’t sure if I needed to see Mannequin Pussy again–but when they announced a tour of their new (excellent) album and that they were ending it in Philly and that Soul Glo was opening, I knew I had to go.
This was the fifth time I’ve seen Mannequin Pussy, which is a little crazy since it’s more than band that I have liked for a lot longer.
But they put on a great show (and they play Philly a lot).
I enjoy them as a headliner because Marisa Dabice can really stretch out and encourage the audience t o let themselves go. She also told us that this tour was all about playing the new album. Which they did. All but the last song. And this album kicks ass so it was great to hear all of these new songs.
The show started quietly with their surprisingly mellow first single, “I Don’t Know You,” and it built with the second single “Sometimes.” If anyone came just for the new singles, that was the end right there. (more…)
I wasn’t sure if I needed to see Mannequin Pussy again–but when they announced a tour of their new (excellent) album and that they were ending it in Philly and that Soul Glo was opening, I knew I had to go.
I had heard lots of buzz about Soul Glo and all of the videos I’d seen had shown a frenzied band and a frenzied audience. I was intrigued but decided that ultimately the show would be too intense for me.
But having them as an opening act made it a little safer–especially since I got to stand on the side of the pit and just watch it. But a home town crowd knew how to get into their scorching punk.
Soul Glo came out to much applause. Allen Nunez on bass was closest to me. Singer Pierce Jordan was playing with some electronic sounds while the rest of band got set up. TJ Stevenson was on the drum kit and GG Guerra strapped on his guitar and started making noises on his own electronic equipment.
[DID NOT ATTEND: May 19, 2024] Mannequin Pussy / Soul Glo
I’ve seen Mannequin Pussy three times. The first time they were opening for Japandroids and Boot & Saddle. And now they have three sold out shows at Union Transfer!
I immediately grabbed tickets for the first night–a hometown show would be amazing.
And I was especially excited that Soul Glo was opening for them. (more…)
[DID NOT ATTEND: December 17-18, 2022] Champagne Jam 2022
Every year for quite some time, The Front Bottoms have been doing a Champagne Jam at the close of the calendar year. Brooklyn Vegan talked about in 2019:
The Front Bottoms‘ annual holiday concert Champagne Jam has taken place in NYC and NJ in the past, and this year it moves to Philadelphia. It happens December 21 (the Saturday before Christmas) at The Fillmore Philly Complex.
2022 saw them return to Philly, which has three venues all more or less connected. I don’t know how the set times are structured–if there’s any way to see everyone (probably not). But then again, I dind;t want to see everyone.
I bought my son and I tickets to the Saturday December 17 show figuring it was one last opportunity to see The Front Bottoms (since we kept missing them for one reason or another). Then we wound up scheduling our own holiday jam for the same night.
So we weren’t going to go to the Friday night show anyhow, but here’s the full lineup:
Friday, December 16, 2022 in the Lobby
DJ Spicy Brown
Friday, December 16 2022 at The Foundry
Flycatcher are from New Brunswick, NJ According to The Deli
Flycatcher are a four-piece rock combo hailing from New Brunswick, New Jersey, three of whom have immaculately sculpted facial hair (well ok one of them has a bushy beard but still it’s neatly trimmed and shaped). On the musical side of things Flycatcher carry on in the fine tradition of immaculately sculpted extremely catchy power-pop-that-rocks made in the Tristate Area with oft-witty lyrics and a distinctly que será, será attitude as established by such legendary acts as Fountains of Wayne, The Feelies, The Smithereens, and the ripe-for-revival Cucumbers.
They sound like they are worth checking out–the one song I’ve listened to is pretty slackery.
Sweet Pill is an emo band from New Jersey. The band consists of vocalist Zayna Youssef, guitarist Jayce Williams, guitarist Sean McCall, bassist Ryan Cullen, and drummer Chris Kearney. The video I watched for High Hopes was super catchy (and set in a bowling alley).
Another Michael is a band who have opened for a bunch of shows I haven’t gone to. They play a kind of mellow indie rock with lead Michael’s vocals veering into R&B styles. Not quite my thing. But that’s only one dud in a bill I didn’t even think about going to.
Slothrust are from Boston. In a review from The Revue (in Canada) from 2021, they talk about an evolving band:
In the 8 years we’ve been covering Slothrust, we’ve seen the band change a lot musically. They’ve shifted from the early days of jazz-infused grunge, which eventually grew into much bigger and less easy to classify sounds. Each record feels like a rebirth, from Everyone Else having a fine polish on that distinctive Slothrust sound but expanding on it at the same time. The Pact felt like an even more diverse records, with the band diving more into electronic sounds and even diving into poppier sounds. It set up any future releases nicely to dive even more into the trio’s widening approach. Their latest record, Parallel Timeline, heralds yet another rebirth of the band. “Cranium” kicks off the record and immediately sets the tone. This is a slower Slothrust, as the chugging basslines and heavy drums are nowhere to be found. All the things that make Leah Wellbaum stand out as an artist, however, are on full display. Her voice, her surreal lyrics, and, at about halfway through the song, her guitar work. “Once More For The Ocean” hits a bit harder, kicking of with a ripping guitar solo, but it stays a bit in that pop realm with a bunch of sections that just beg to be sung along with.
Sounds like a really good night and some bands I should be on the look out for.
Friday, December 16, 2022 at Fillmore Philadelphia
Lunar Vacation I saw Lunar Vacation open for The Beths and they were great. I’d happily see them again.
Emperor X is from Louisville, Kentucky (and presumably not the Emperor X from Berlin). He plays a kind of low-fi pop that I see is described as a “bummer jam” which is absolutely not my thing.
Joyce Manor is a punk band from California who I always think are someone else. Their latest album 40 oz to Fresno was described by The New York Times (!!!) as “relentlessly tuneful 17-minute collection of all-killer, no-filler power-pop.” I rather like their clean punk sound.
The Front Bottoms are the stars of the night and the main attraction. They were, no doubt fantastic, and I love that they give a lot of other New Jersey bands a platform.
Saturday, December 17, 2022 at Brooklyn Bowl
Shannen Moser I’ve seen Shannen Moser twice. Her intense folk songs are quite good
Shane Henderson was the singer of Valencia and now does mostly production.
Tom May has “lived the dream” of being a full time, working, self-supporting folk musician. Tom is also the founder and host of the nationally-syndicated live radio program, River City Folk.
Kevin Devine is someone I love and I was really looking forward to seeing his set–and hoping that it didn’t conflict with any of the other headliners.
Saturday, December 17, 2022 at The Foundry
Riverby are from Philly. They are a fun indie rock band with a loose sound (and a cover of “Walk Through the Fire” from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Hotline TNT is the shoegaze/indie rock project of singer-songwriter Will Anderson (a.k.a. Flip Sandy). The project began after Anderson moved from Vancouver to Minneapolis. Now based in New York, Anderson still handles the songwriting himself and has played live shows with several different lineups.
Kid Sister is a rapper who has appeared with Sault.
Saturday, December 17, 2022 at Fillmore Philadelphia
Prince Daddy & The Hyena is an American rock band from Albany, New York, formed in 2014 described as indie rock with punk and “slacker” influences
Soul Glo is a band I really want to see. They are an extreme punk band and will probably scare the heck out of me. It would have been safest to see them amid all of these other bands
Titus Andronicus is a band I should probably love, but I just can’t get into them.
The Front Bottoms headlining a second night.
This seems like a really fun festival.
Jordan Norris nicely posted a video of The Front Bottoms from both shows
Friday night:
Saturday night
Also
Also, The Flycatcher review had these two videos (because of a song called sodas in the freezer)
I loved the first three TV on the Radio albums. Not sure I ever listened to the other two (Acually I loved Happy Idiot, but probably don’t know anything else from that album). But that last album came out over ten years ago so I never thought they’d tour, especially since singer Tunde Adebimpe had just released a (very successful) solo album.
I Just Read About That... 