[DID NOT ATTEND: July 23, 2024] Spoon Benders / Color Charge / Disaster Artist / [was] The Lunar Year
Spoon Benders opened for The Psychedelic Porn Crumpets on a night I couldn’t go (still sad about that one).
If they open for PPC, they must be worth checking out so I had considered going to this show. But I had a couple of other shows this week so this one was pushed aside.
They are a progressive psych-rock powerhouse that has been relentlessly crisscrossing the United States, leaving a trail of newly acquired fans in their wake. Spoon Benders have become synonymous with an electrifying stage presence that can only be described as loud, controlled chaos.
When I first listened to some of their songs I wasn’t that excited, but I feel like I must not have been paying attention because their sound is very cool with lots of echoing guitars and a much-needed female voice on lead and backing vocals.
I saw The Family Crest back in 2017. I was really into their album at the time. Since then I’ve kind of forgotten about them. I was interested in seeing them again as their new material is still strong. But I wound up not getting a ticket.
Then we made plans to go visit family members, so the point was moot anyhow.
Koser sounds like they want to be the band for everyone
a high-energy 5-piece rock/blues/funk band from Philadelphia. The supergroup meshes the powerful contralto vocals of Kara Koser with a heap of instruments– guitars, bass, saxophone, keyboard, synth, percussion, drums, and more, every show. KOSER pairs well with the soul of Lawrence, Amy Winehouse, and the grit of Nirvana, Paramore.
I listened to their one song on Bandcamp and it was all instrumental and all synths, so I don’t really know what that blurb is talking about.
[DID NOT ATTEND: June 22, 2024] Slomo Sapiens / Wax Jaw / Flatwaves
My failed quest to see Wax Jaw again continues. This show was announced as Wax Jaw’s last show for a while, as they regroup and plan to record a new album. So I would have really liked to go. But I had tickets to see Frank Turner and his band who I have been trying to see for longer. So, never mind.
I love the name Slomo Sapiens I first heard of them last year and I wrote
Slomo Sapiens continues the tradition of great band names from Philadelphia. I didn’t know much about them, but they are described as a psychedelic “sludge rock” trio, which sounds pretty good to me. I’ve listened to a couple of songs and psychedelic sludge rock is right on the nose.
This show was actually an album release party for The Holy Babble, their second album. It’s pretty good and I imagine they are lots of fun live.
Flatwaves are Philly-based garagegaze. And that’s pretty accurate. They have a shoegaze vibe but with a kind of heaviness that’s a twist on the genre.
[DID NOT ATTEND: June 19, 2024] Airiel / Blushing / Bodywash
I saw Blushing open for Ringo Deathstarr and I really liked them a lot. That was five years ago and I was ready to see them again. Even if they were second on the bill.
I hadn’t heard of Airiel even though they’d been around for over twenty years. They had been pretty dormant for much of it. so I guess its not too surprising. I listened to some of their songs and really liked them. And then I felt as though I liked them a little less each time I listened again.
They describe their music as “It’s loud, it’s pretty and you can dance to it”
I was intrigued, but ultimately decided to stay home because I had gone out the two nights before and was going out the two nights after.
Bodywash play a shoegaze style (with synths) and two singers Chris Steward and Rosie Long Decter. They are from Montreal. (more…)
[DID NOT ATTEND: June 8, 2024] TAGABOW / Hotline TNT / Fib / Menu
This was my third missed show at the Ukie Club in a month. Each one is a show I really wanted to go to. Although as it turns out, this one was probably the least most interesting one of the three. I was mostly interested in seeing Hotline TNT who I’ve really been enjoying over the last few months.
TAGABOW I hadn’t heard of until the Slide Away Festival in Aptil–their set was really good (having seen the video).
The other two bands I hadn’t heard of at all. They are new(ish) indie bands from Philly.
The night’s tickets went to Palestinian Relief, so I didn’t mind getting a ticket since the money went to a good cause.
On the night of I just decided I didn’t really want to go to a full night of bands, even if I would have liked it. And, watching the videos below, I think I would have.
TAGABOW (They Are Gutting a Body of Water) is a Philly-based shoegaze band that I’ve never heard of. They seem to be on the noisier side of shoegaze–heavier guitars, more wild distortion, extra noises. Wikipedia says that genres besides shoegaze that have influenced the band include drum and bass, breakcore, jungle, and reggaeton, which could certainly explain some of the noisier components.
Hotline TNT plays what I can only describe as classic shoegaze, which is definitely having a moment again. Unlike a lot of their contemporaries, they don’t really mess with the classic shoegaze vibe all that much–not adding elements at all. Their music warms my heart and I’d love to see them live.
Fib Philadelphia rock band. Logan, charlie, gage, and Damien. They play noisy, somewhat abrasive rock, with vocals!
I didn’t know Menu at all(they are rather hard to search for online as well). I enjoyed their set (from the video below) which is the kind of lurching, somewhat off-kilter indie rock that makes me happy. The first four songs are instrumental, but the fifth does have a few screamed words.
Rampaging post punk from Philadelphia, PA. Fast guitars like shooting laser blasters. Tracked at home. This most memorable Rock Band burns bright, quickly leaving you to wonder where it’s gone. We love T.V., just like we’re supposed to
And here’s videos of all four sets from Wallace, Watches!
0:00 – Intro 1:00 – Protocol 7:30 – Son In Law 10:33 – I Thought You’d Change 13:40 – Candle (Unreleased) 18:00 – Stampede 22:10 – “Philadelphia…” 22:40 – Trinity 28:05 – Are You Faded? 33:00 – History Channel 38:10 – Had 2 Try
0:00 – Outro 3:53 – Taking the Piss 5:49 – Bedside 7:30 – Dotted Line 10:07 – Jam 11:26 – We’re Only in it For the Money 15:36 – Heavy Lifting 19:01 – Real Heat 22:50 – Unknown 1
I was supposed to see Francis of Delirium open for The Districts back in 2022, but I wound up taking my son and his friends to see Ice Nine Kills instead. I didn’t mind missing The Districts because I had seen them just a few months earlier, but I was bummed about missing Francis.
And here they were two years later on a headlining tour. They had just played Boston Calling but tonight was their first proper show and they were ready for it.
I had also snagged tickets to see Negativland tonight. A very different experience. I was torn about which to go to see because I love Negativland’s culture jamming. But I thought that Francis of Delirium was a better, more fun choice. And I was so right!
I had listened to FoD’s new album Lighthouse, which is more mellow than their previous couple of EPs. So I thought the show would be enjoyable but kind of chill. But WOW, did they rock! All of the grunge sensibilities of the early EPs were employed on the new songs as well and the whole night was like a perfect callback to the best elements of the best grunge songs, all with a new perspective.
Francis of Delirium is from Luxembourg (main Delirium, Jana Bahrich, was born in Antwerp but lived in Switzerland and Canada before her family settled in Luxembourg. Her backing band Denis Schumacher (drums) and Jeff Hennico (bass) are both native to Luxembourg. I don’t know really anything about Luxembourg, but it seems so exotic. And apparently being an indie rock band is REALLY exotic in Luxembourg, so they are like the most exotic band around, I guess.
The trio came on stage and Jana played am introductory guitar part using a metal slide–a sound not featured on the record. But it was just a cool opening intro before she tossed the slide on the ground and they jumped into “Alone Tonight.”
I’m not sure what recent song really make me perk up my ears and find out who wrote such a great song, but I think it was “Blue Tuesday,” which hits all of my buttons for a great song. Jana joked that it was a Tuesday night, perfect for playing the song. It sounded even better than on record.
The new album has 11 song and they played 9, also mixing in some from the earlier EPs. (more…)
I have a negative opinion of any musician who goes by one first name. I mean, sure a few people can pull it off (Cher, Adele), but their names are (at least a little) unusual to begin with. It’s weird enough for new artists to go by their first name (Mike, Dave). But it’s bizarre to me that a band would go by a single first name. Enter Julian. I mean, there are several Julian/Julien musicians who do not go by a mononym, so how confusing is it to be this first-named band?
Well, maybe not very. Their bio says
Despite various lineup shifts and relocating from D.C. to Philadelphia, Julian has remained tight-knit, well-worn, and snugly fit around the sharp, soft voice and inner thoughts of vocalist and guitarist Jay Leiby (they/them). Yearning Songs, the project’s fourth EP following a series of one-off singles, invites listeners to come honest and open—to leave with a warm halo of dream-pop and 2000s pop rock glowing in its wake. They are working on a new EP that will be out sometime this summer.
And yet, it’s really hard to search for them online.
Which is a real shame because they were great as openers for Francis of Delirium.
The band was a five-piece with J front and center. They played guitar (but not lead as there weren’t really any solos) and sang. The rest of the band was tight and fit in perfectly. Although I will say that the second guitarist (I didn’t get anyone else’s names) was too quiet in the mix. When he played a lead line in one of the songs it was only there when J’s guitar faded.
But the bass and keys sounded great.
Indeed, I really enjoyed the keys/bass music that the band played while J was tuning. Instead of loops or noise, they played pretty ambient songs.
But the main focus is on J’s songs.
Julian has a few EPs out and most of the songs came from the newest one Yearning Songs.
J plays simple chords, but they use a capo a lot to change the feel of the songs. But the most notable things about the songs is their mostly really short. Most of the songs in the set were about 2 minutes long (no time for a solo).
I enjoyed the two new songs (according to the photo of the setlist, Everything and Picture, as they rocked a little harder and were a little longer. There’s nothing wrong with short songs, but these songs felt more fleshed out. I mean, Crush Song is only 1 minute and 45 seconds long! But it’s really good, with a staccato company that is really catchy.
J’s voice is pretty soft and the melodies are all pretty quiet, but there’s a great rocking vibe underneath and most of the songs rock out for a short time.
They told us that Bike (and older song) was their favorite to play and the band really got into it
I was a little bummed that their set was so short.
Never B ¥
Everything [new song]
Stuck ¥
Bike £
Picture [new song]
Car ⇔
Crush Song ¥
Having You Around ¥
⇔ Real Distance EP (2018)
£ Longing EP (2021) ¥ Yearning Songs EP (2022)
[DID NOT ATTEND: May 22, 2024] Gustaf / Jim E. Brown / Rentboy
Two years ago I wrote this:
I saw Gustaf open for Idles and they were weird and wonderful and someone I definitely wanted to see live again–preferably headlining. They have a very late 1980’s punk aesthetic with spoken words and random sounds. Plus a lot of humor. I was really excited for this show. But by the time it came around, having missed a whole bunch of shows that I was really looking forward to, I wound up blowing off this one as well.
Shame, really.
And I can’t believe the same thing happened this time too. I had shows lined up from Saturday through Thursday. I didn’t think I’d make them all, but here’s the fourth night in a row that I couldn’t go to a show.
Tonight’s was because my daughter’s school had an awards night scheduled for tonight. So obviously I’m going to that instead. But the timing, ugh.
The two openers are bands/performers I have missed in the past.
Jim E. Brown opened for Wax Jaw.
Poet and Artist/Activist Jim E. Brown was born in Manchester on September 10, 2001, just one day before the 911. He is an alcoholic and has several degenerative conditions.
His YouTube videos say
19 year old British pop sensation Jim E. Brown returns with his latest album, Torture
His music is weird and comically dark. It makes weird sense that he’d be paired with Gustaf.
Over simple melodies, Brown speak/screams lyrics to songs like “I texted you a photo of the sunset and you never responded” and “I know I’m going to die of a stroke.” Sounds interminable and wonderful.
Rentboy has been an opener for two different bands that I didn’t see. They are a Philadelphia based disco collective whose new blurb says
Rentboy is the musical project of Bobby Brown. After three releases of increasingly lush, Americana-influenced dance pop, Rentboy’s next EP, “Get Worse” is a hard left turn. Mashing together the minimalist aggression of 2000s garage rock and the mangled production of hyper pop, the lead single “Aperol Spritz” sounds like a late night walk home from a particularly decadent party you can’t remember but wouldn’t want to forget.
I didn’t think I’d like them all that much but the one song I listened to is weird and fun.
[DID NOT ATTEND: May 20, 2024] Zeta / Cold Court / Sweet Pill
I was really excited when this show was announced (although not the reason it was an announced).* But this week appears to be the week that I had many shows lined up and things keep coming up to prevent me from going.
So, as my day unfolded, it was pretty clear that i wouldn’t be able to go to the show.
And with this line up, I’m sure it was intense and amazing. In fact, it may have been a little too intense for me in that small space. The last time I went to the Ukie club there was some serious dancing and right now I am not up for the pit. So maybe it was better for me to not be there. (more…)
I saw Ringo Deathstarr back in 2019 and they were fantastic. They play heavy shoegaze in all of the best ways. I really wanted to see them again.
But this show happensto be on the same night as a show that I already had tickets for–MC Lars, who I have tried to see on many many occasions but have never been successful. So I’m afraid Ringo Deathstarr loses out (and maybe I do too).
I hadn’t heard of The Veldt even though they’ve been around since 1986 (!)
Spotify describes them as a soul-powered rock band on the heavier end of the shoegaze spectrum, the Veldt are dream pop at their core yet just as known for driving riffs and stirring vocals. Led by Daniel and Danny Chavis, the Veldt were misunderstood from their late-’80s beginning.
I like their music but really don’t like the singer’s voice for this style of music.
SOLD is a Philly band that’s been around for a few years. They descibe themselves as
Philly Post-Punk that’s fast and hard but then soft and lame too. Lot of bass, some spooky organs and a guitar all on top of drums. So yeah.
I listened to a few songs and they rock. But when the cheesy synths come in, it’s quite a surprise (in a good way).
I Just Read About That... 