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Archive for the ‘Venues’ Category

The Spirit of the Beehive / Kassie Krut (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, November 9, 2024) [POSTPONED]

Posted in Kassie Krut, Palm, Philadelphia, PA, The Spirit of the Beehive, Union Transfer on November 9, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: November 9, 2024] The Spirit of the Beehive / Kassie Krut [moved to March 5, 2025]

I saw The Spirit of the Beehive seven years ago and they were outstanding live.  I’d never heard of them before that show but they blew me away with their set which was a great mix of shoegaze and noise.  I said then that I’d like to see them headline a show.

They’ve been around a few times and I wasn’t planning on going to this show because it was the same night as Makoto Kawabata.

But then they had all of their gear stolen.

On October 5, SOTB announced on social media that their van and trailer were stolen at a hotel by the Seattle airport. The trailer had all the band’s gear and most of their merch inside of it. Later that day, they shared an update that they had found the trailer, but it was virtually empty. On Sunday morning, SOTB found out that the van had been found in Seattle and impounded, but before they were able to claim it, the van was somehow restolen from the impound lot.

Their GoFundMe raised over $75,000, and they are rescheduling shows.  I don’t know if they had any specialized gear. (more…)

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Touché Amoré  (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, November 2, 2024)

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Portrayal of Guilt, Soft Blue Shimmer, Soul Glo, Touché Amoré, Union Transfer on November 5, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: November 2, 2024] Touché Amoré

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…)

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Soul Glo (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, November 2, 2024) [TOUCHÉ AMORÉ]

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Portrayal of Guilt, Soft Blue Shimmer, Soul Glo, Touché Amoré, Union Transfer on November 4, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: November 2, 2024] Soul Glo

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…)

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Portrayal of Guilt (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, November 2, 2024) [TOUCHÉ AMORÉ]

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Portrayal of Guilt, Soft Blue Shimmer, Soul Glo, Touché Amoré, Union Transfer on November 3, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: November 2, 2024] Portrayal of Guilt

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…)

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Soft Blue Shimmer (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, November 2, 2024) [TOUCHÉ AMORÉ]

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Portrayal of Guilt, Soft Blue Shimmer, Soul Glo, Touché Amoré, Union Transfer on November 2, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: November 2, 2024] Soft Blue Shimmer

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)

 

 

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The Go! Team / La Sécurité (The Foundry, Philadelphia, PA, November 2, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in La Sécurité, Philadelphia, PA, The Foundry, The Go! Team on November 2, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: November 2, 2024] The Go! Team / La Sécurité

I remember when The Go! Team came out with Thunder, Lightning, Strike and how the album was kind of revolutionary for its mix of sounds and for everything being louder than everything else.

It was kind of over whelming at the time and now it’s a blueprint for dozens of other bands.

I never liked the album enough to want to go to this show, plus we were going to see Touche Amore that night. (more…)

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Drinking Boys and Girls Choir [드링킹소년소녀합창단] (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, October 30, 2024)

Posted in Drinking Boys and Girls Choir, 드링킹소년소녀합창단, Johnny Brenda's, Party Nerves, Philadelphia, PA on October 31, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 30, 2024] Drinking Boys and Girls Choir

I saw Drinking Boys and Girls Choir open for Otoboke Beaver about 8 months ago.  They were great and so much fun.  When they announced a headline tour of the States I immediately grabbed a ticket.

I love Johnny Brenda’s as a venue, but the parking around there has gotten so bad, it’s almost impossible to go.

The place wasn’t very crowded but everyone there was super excited to be there.  When Megan Nisbet asked if anyone had seen them with Otoboke Beaver, most of the audience enthusiastically raised their hands.

Meena Bae (bass & vocals) and Myeong-jin Kim (drums & vocals) started the band in 2012.  They’ve gone through a few guitarists over the years and have now grabbed Scottish guitarist Megan Nisbet who joined the band in 2020 (and had been studying Korean for 15 years!).

The trio came out and Megan whaled some feedback as they started “Limitless Night.”    Meena Bae is a phenomenal frontwoman, she has a great voice and a ton of energy.  She smiles when she’s not singing and she jumps and kicks her feet in the air.

It was hilarious and fun.

Megan doesn’t really interact with the crowd, as she really holds down the songs with fantastic solos (she gets an extended, impressive solo in “Red Shift” which made someone at the end of the song shout expletives of approval) and backing vocals. (more…)

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Party Nerves (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, October 30, 2024) [DRINKING BOYS AND GIRLS CHOIR]

Posted in Drinking Boys and Girls Choir, Johnny Brenda's, Party Nerves, Philadelphia, PA on October 30, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 30, 2024] Party Nerves

I saw Party Nerves open for Say Sue Me back in November and for Drinking Boys and Girls Choir and Otoboke Beaver in March.  And now they are back opening for Drinking Boys and Girls again.

Party Nerves is a great, fun band.

All three members are super in tune with each other, but fairly or unfairly, most of the attention has to go to guitarist Woolly since he’s the one playing the lightning fast, non-stop surf guitar riffs. Yup, rocking surf guitar that reminds me of Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet (the band who made The Kids in the Hall theme song), although listening to them this time, they have more urgency and intensity that Shadowy’s laid back vibe).

Admittedly a lot of the songs are samey–I mean, it’s instrumental and it’s all kind of reverbed and riff-based.  But each guy is really good and the riffs are tasty.

The crowd was really into it with lots if applause after each song.   They just put out a new EP.

Party Nerves is a great opening act, check them out!

 

2024 2024 2023
Going to Hell on a Technicality ⊗ Going to Hell on a Technicality ⊗
Whose Blood is This? © Hearse Donuts ©
Scum Island ⇔ Texas Pastry Month ⇔
Hearse Donuts © 12
Coffee and Muffins with Anton ⇔ Whose Blood is This? ©
Jackie Dracula © Scum Island ⇔
Tellez Marella ⇔ Jackie Dracula ©
Coffin Hop © Goose Suit ©
I Said No Thank You ⇔ Ikta
Texas Pastry Month ⇔ Coffin Hop ©
Toothpaste, NJ ⇔ Toothpaste, NJ ⇔

⇔ Go Broke or Go Home (2024)
⊗ 2023 single
© Put a Load On, Come Back Mangled (2022)

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Osees / Godcaster (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 26, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Godcaster, Osees, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on October 26, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 26, 2024] Osees

Three years ago I saw Osees and really enjoyed the chaotic energy of the show.  Since then they have returned every year in mid October.

Last year  had an appointment scheduled that ran really late and made me unable to get to the show.   This year, I bought tickets for the show in February.

But this year my daughter’s birthday conflicted (as it tends to do) and I wasn’t able to go out that night.  I really would like to see Osees again.  Maybe if they come back around this year I can go.

Godcaster is a screamy noise band from Brooklyn.  Pitchfork wrote of them that their music is “teetering right on the edge of irredeemable obnoxiousness, daring you to resist their charm and lightning-fast musicianship.”  Another reviewer says of their show “If you’ve seen Godcaster live, you know they put on a show as if they were in a crowd of thousands.”  That’s a cool recommendation, and I’ve enjoyed what I’ve heard.

Maybe I’ll get to see them as well.

 

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Bleary Eyed / Hello Mary (Ukie Club, Philadelphia, PA, October 25, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Bleary Eyed, Hello Mary, Philadelphia, PA, The Ukie Club on October 25, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 25, 2024] Bleary Eyed / Hello Mary

I’ve been vaguely obsessed with Hello Mary for a couple of years now.  Looking back at shows I didn’t attend, I could have seen them six times in the past two years but didn’t for one reason or anther.

So I was really looking forward to this show.

And then, as often happens at this time of year, my daughter had a birthday party planned for that night and so I was in for the night.

Bummer. (more…)

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