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Archive for the ‘Wax Jaw’ 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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[DID NOT ATTEND: August 16, 2026] Wax Jaw / Teenage Halloween / Have a Good Season

I honestly can’t keep track of the number of times I haven’t seen Wax Jaw.  For a time they were the new band that I “discovered” and wanted to support really badly.  And I kept missing them.  I have finally seen them twice.

This show was the night before my son was leaving for his study abroad.  So, no matter how much I like Wonderbar and Wax Jaw, there was just no way.

At least Wax Jaw is playing Philly Music Fest in October and I SHOULD be able to make that one.

This show was announced fairly recently but I already had tickets to see Guster AND there was a second show I really wanted to see this night, Porridge Radio.  So this show was never going to happen for me.

I saw Teenage Halloween open for THICK a while back and thought they were great.   The Asbury Park band plays short blasts of catchy emo songs–lots of punk feelings (their bio says)

At the heart of vocalist and guitarist Luk Henderiks’ lyrics is an urgent longing for community. Despite their often strikingly personal vulnerability, these songs reach out to the wider world, striving to hold themselves and those around them accountable for their actions and to make space for those that need to be heard.

and occasionally fantastic guitar solos (Eli Frank is a total shredder, but doesn’t overuse that skill).  Luk seemed to sing more of the songs, but Tricia Marshall (bass) sang about four or five of the seventeen (!) they played.  I would absolutely see them again.

Have a Good Season is a trio from Eatontown, NJ.  They are a gentle alt rock band (with rocking moments) that incorporates intricate guitar parts and catchy vocal melodies.  They are the kind of band that I would love hearing one or two songs in a mix, but who I might not listen to an entire album.  But I dig their overall vibe.

This would have been a delightful show.

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[DID NOT ATTEND: April 4, 2026] Wax Jaw / KulfiGirls / Lash Out

I was such a huge fan of Wax Jaw and I wanted to see them every chance I got.  And then for some reason, I wasn’t that excited about this show.  Have I outgrown them?  I don’t know.  Maybe it’s because I already had a ticket to a different show that night that I wasn’t thinking about this show too much.  Of coure, we wound up going to Minnesota so I wouldn’t have been able to go anyhow.

KulfiGirls are a Philadelphia-based rock band fronted by lead vocalist Abi Natesh who, through her use of the South Indian Saraswati veena, presents a novel “carnatic rock” sound inspired by diverse genres of pop and rock. 

I hadn’t heard of them, but holy cow I would have absolutely gone to this show for KulfiGirls.  Their mix of South Indian music and indie rock is really exciting and interesting.  And Abi’s voice is fantastic.  I’m going to have to check them out.

Lash Out is a Philadelphia band made up of Taylor and Tessa.  They are very low-fi and their songs are really short (on bandcamp, they do a cover of Big Lizard in My Backyard).  Also on their bandcamp is a collection of demos and their debut album Lash Out (which doesn’t sound much more polished than the demos.  Their songs are simple and short and decidedly DIY.

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[ATTENDED: September 6, 2025] The Get Up Kids 

I have tried to se The Get Up Kids at least three times in the last few years.  They had been doing this tour for Something to Write Home About for a couple of years, including Union Transfer in Sept 2024 an Starland Ballroom in February of this year.

I was interested in this show for Wax Jaw, but heck, it was also a chance to finally see The Get Up Kids.  Midway through the set, lead guitarist and sometimes singer Jim Suptic said that they ha just played LA the night before and had a red-eye flight at 4:30 to go to Japan.  But they wanted to make sure they gave New Jersey a good show.  He said they loved playing NJ and that so far on this tour NJ has sung along the loudest.

I really had no idea what the band looked like and had no idea who had that totally recognizable singing voice.  So it was kind of a surprise to see Matt Pryor with a full beard.   Earlier Piebald had joked that The Get Up Kids weren’t kids anymore.

Bassist Rob Pope doesn’t sing, but he does come up front to the edge of the stage from time to time.  And drummer Ryan Pope was excellent.  Keyboardist Dustin Kinsey wasn’t on every song but I appreciated his contributions. (more…)

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[ATTENDED: September 6, 2025] Piebald

When this show was announced I was excited about Wax Jaw and The Get Up Kids, but I didn’t know anything about Piebald.  It’s a little puzzling that I didn’t know them because they’re from the mid 90s Boston music scene.

The lineup said they were going to go on at 6, but their setup seemed to take a while and they didn’t go on until 6:30.  This was good for the break between them and Get Up Kids, but it meant that Wax Jaw was about an hour between bands.  But Piebald seemed in very good spirits.

I was unfamiliar with them.  And I guess I was the only one because wow, there were a group of guys up front who knew every word and who were dancing around.  Indeed the crowd was really into their set.  And so was I.  One guy was really really into it, almost embarrassingly so, but they admitted that he used to play cowbell for them so he was practically part of the band.

I enjoyed their sound right from the start–I loved that there were lots of YEAHS and HEYS sung very loudly by all three singers (Aaron Stuart, guitar and Andrew Bonner, bass).

And the content of the lyrics was really good too. (more…)

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[ATTENDED: September 6, 2025] Wax Jaw 

There are lots of young bands that I’m excited to watch get bigger.  Wax Jaw has been a favorite of mine for awhile, but I’ve only seen them twice.

I found out about this Bolero Block Party through their social media account, even though they weren’t originally  supposed to open (according to the Tshirt I bought), but they’re the reason I went to the show (the fact that The Get Up Kids wee headlining was a major plus!)

When I saw the last night, it was at a tiny club for the release of their debut EP.  The crowd was all there for them and they were wild.

For this show, they went on at 5:00.  But, the entire afternoon it had been raining massively.  It even said it was supposed to rain for the entire day.  I assumed the show would be washed out–I certainly wasn’t going to go stand for 4 hours in the rain.

I felt bad for the brewery because this was their first time doing this and they had a lot of things in place–vendors, food trucks and even a skateboard ramp (see map below.)  Sadly the skateboard ramp went unused) it had gotten too wet, but the vendors were cool and the food was great.

And then, miraculously, it stopped raining at 3:15, which gave me just enough time to get ready and head over to Carlstadt.  Luckily there was nothing going on at Met Life Stadium, because the brewery is right around the corner and game or concert traffic would have killed me.

But I arrived early, and was delighted to walk around and look at the vendors.  I bought some shirts from Jetty and had delicious BBQ from Rhythm and Ribz. (more…)

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[DID NOT ATTEND: February 7, 2025] Wax Jaw / DJ PTFERRIS96

Yet again, Wax Jaw eludes me.

This show sounds amazing–a rocking show with an opportunity to watch the band make a video.  How cool would that be?

The blurb says

This will be a Wax Jaw banger to end all Wax Jaw bangers, and all attendees will get to:
⭐️ star in a wax jaw music video
💀 thrash to a fresh wax jaw set
🪩 dance all night with @ptferris96

~BLACK AND PINK ATTIRE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED~

And, yea, I don’t want to be in a Wax Jaw video.  And they don’t want me in a Wax Jaw video.

 

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[DID NOT ATTEND: January 24, 2025] Wax Jaw / Teen Idle / Loveseat Pete

Wax Jaw continues to play really close to me but always on nights that I’m already busy.

This show was announced fairly recently but I already had tickets to see Guster AND there was a second show I really wanted to see this night, Porridge Radio.  So this show was never going to happen for me.

Teen Idle is the musical moniker of NJ-based songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Sara Abdelbarry.  Meshing the heartfelt nature of influences like Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham with the grittiness and abrasiveness of grunge and the lovelorn tendency of ’60s acts like The Ronettes, Teen Idle makes emotional rock music with a statement (and a cinematic tendency).

I had never heard of Teen Idle, and a quick listen reminds me a bit of The Weather Station (Sara has a great voice too).  But this vibe doesn’t really fit with Wax Jaw to me. (more…)

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