[DID NOT ATTEND: September 1, 2023] Strawberry Moon / Wax Jaw / Hot Seat / Wallace, Tonight
I have recently discovered the Philly band Wax Jaw and I am mildly obsessed with them. I have yet to see them live, but I really want to. When I saw this show at Ortlieb’s, I thought it might be a great time to see them.
But there were a couple of problems.
The big one is that my son was moving to college the next day. Yea, there was no way I was not going to be home to help him (and we were up until almost midnight getting everything together). The second, obviously minor thing is that Wax Jaw was not the headliner.
Strawberry Moon was the headliner. I hadn’t heard of them, but imagined they would be kind of a psychedelic band. And nothing could be further from the truth. Their bandcamp summary says:
rock and roll with big ole vocals and dancey riffs
And that’s pretty spot on. There’s some great rocking riffs and lead singer Katie Bowles has a powerful voice that never turns into screaming. The rest of the band is Liam McElroy – guitar ; Gray Stephenson – bass ; TJ Meade – drums. The poster says “Introducing Christian” which I assume means another member of the band, but who knows.
They are a classic sounding band who probably put on a killer live show.
Wax Jaw I only know from a show I didn’t see (which had video online afterward). There’s something wonderfully primal about them–kinda surfy but with a real punk rock feel. Or as, this review in Before Tomorrow says
With a blend of surf rock, new wave, and popost-punk influences; Wax Jaw can only be described as something akin to the love child of The Cure, Siouxsie and The Banshees, and The Dictators all wrapped up into one package of sound that you may have expected to hear leaking from the doors of The Hot Club in the late 1970s. In the seemingly brief time they have been together, Wax Jaw has already garnered an extensive roster of sold out shows across the Philadelphia area and after our experience, it is undeniable that this streak will continue.
The review also goes on to say that it sounds like they stole the show. (more…)
