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Archive for the ‘Theatre of Living Arts’ Category

Circle Jerks / Gorilla Biscuits / Negative Approach (Archer Music Hall, Allentown, PA. March 31, 2026 // Theatre of Living Arts (TLA), Philadelphia, PA, April 3 & 4, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Circle Jerks, Gigi Perez, Gorilla Biscuits, Negative Approach, Nikole, Philadelphia, PA, Theatre of Living Arts on April 5, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: March 31, April 3, April 4, 2026] Circle Jerks / Gorilla Biscuits / Negative Approach

I liked a lot of 80s punks, but I was never really into Circle Jerks.  I mean, they were legends of course, but for whatever reason I never got their music.  When these shows were announced I was actually surprised that Circle Jerks were still a thing.  Actually, I guess they are once again a thing.  They tend to reunite and then stop and reunite and stop.  They’ve been touring now since 2019 (but haven’t released any new music since 1995).  I Really did consider going to this show. I mean, it’s the Circle Jerks after all.  And they were playing THREE dates.  But I was completely shut out on all of these dates.

The March 31 date was the same night as The Teeth who I didn’t want to miss.  April 3 I had tickets to Puscifer and April 4th I had tickets to Nothing.  And then we wound up going to  Minnesota the first few days of April, so I wouldn’t have been able to go anyway.

I’m not sure what an old school punk show like this would be like–is it all old punks in a pit or is it all young kids in a pit an old guys standing around.  I mean I do love seeing that they played 31 songs in roughly an hour–nice old school punk.  And since they played two dates in Philly, they probably won’t come back around any time soon.  Oh well.  Not a bucket list band, but it would have been fun.

All I know about Gorilla Biscuits is that I bought their Start Today CD in college and it had 99 tracks, which was a really fun at the time.  I hadn’t really thought about them much since then, and was kind of surprised to see that they were touring (which I guess they have been doing since 2005?).  They have released no new music since Start Today (1988).  So I guess their shows aren’t very different each night.  I’m not sure I would have recognized many of the songs but it would have been fun to see them too.  They played about 40 minutes (not bad since they released about 30 minutes of music)

Negative Approach is yet another hardcore band who is still around but who hasn’t out out new music since their debut album Tied Down (1983).  I’m aware of the band but really know very little about them.  Unlike the other three bands, when they started playing again in 2006, only the singer remained–everyone else was new.  But it’s the same guys since 2006 which is longer than the original incarnation lasted (1981-1984).  They played for about 30 minutes)

It sounds like a fun night of old school punk and I wish I’d been able to go.

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Hanabie (Theatre of Living Arts [TLA], Philadelphia, PA, March 21, 2026)

Posted in Enterprise Earth, 花冷え。, Hanabie, Nekrogoblikon, Philadelphia, PA, Theatre of Living Arts on March 23, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: March 21, 2026] Hanabie

I saw Hanabie [花冷え。] a year and a half ago when they opened for Jinjer.  They were great and they blew me away with their heaviness and with their mixture of heavy growls and J-Pop moments.

Hanabie [花冷え。] cpmbines loud and heavy music with Harajuku aesthetics in a style self-described as “Harajuku-core.”  They have been around since 2015 (when they started as a Maximum The Hormone cover band).  They have clean vocals and unclean vocals and the most fascinating thing is that singer Yukina does both!  She can sing in an incredibly high pitched voice and then shifts to a growl that would impress anyone.

Guitarist Matsuri also sings–and has a lovely voice.  She often sings super catchy chorus and bridge parts while Yukina adds to them.  Bassist Hettsu sings too and she has a lovely clean vocal style.  The three of them together are a dynamic force.  Drummer Chika is the newest member (they’ve had several drummers over the years).

Last time I wrote: Their fashion sense was pretty great too.  They were a great opening act and I would absolutely see them again–I hope as a headliner.

And here they were headlining.   They said it was their first time in Philadelphia, and Philadelphia was ready for them!  They had sold out the show and the crowd was 100% into it–pits and crowd surfing galore. (more…)

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Nekrogoblikon (Theatre of Living Arts [TLA], Philadelphia, PA, March 21, 2026) [HANABIE]

Posted in Enterprise Earth, Hanabie, Nekrogoblikon, Philadelphia, PA, Theatre of Living Arts on March 22, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: March 21, 2026] Nekrogoblikon

My son and his friend went to see Nekrogoblikon back in 2023.  I had wanted to see them, but opted not to tag along.  So I was pretty happy that the goblin band were opening this set.

I didn’t know much about them except that they had a goblin in the band.  And, indeed, they do.  They inflated a giant goblin head in the middle of the stage and after a few minutes the band came out.

I couldn’t see the keyboardist on the far side at all (because of the goblin head), but I was on the perfect side for seeing John Goblikon.  Evidently the band has changed over the years.  I assumed that John Goblikon was just a mascot or something.  But now he actually sings.  And the really surprising thing is that he sings clean vocals while the human singer sings insanely unclean vocals. And, actually that’s where the problem was for me.  Dickie Allen doesn’t growl or sing in a deep way.  Instead, his vocals are at the higher end of things and sound kind of strangled.  On record it’s weird and maybe a little funny.   But live, he sang so fast that I genuinely didn’t know if he was singing words or just making off-putting goblin sounds.

But when John Goblikon sang, he had a really good voice and his parts were surprisingly catchy.  In fact, most of the songs were pretty catchy. I just hated hearing the main singer sing.

Because John Goblikon was pretty funny–a convincing goblin mask and hands and he danced around and made rude gestures.  There was someone near me with a Nekrogoblikon hat (green with pointy ears), so there were definitely some fans.  (more…)

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Enterprise Earth (Theatre of Living Arts [TLA], Philadelphia, PA, March 21, 2026) [HANABIE]

Posted in Enterprise Earth, Hanabie, Nekrogoblikon, Philadelphia, PA, Theatre of Living Arts on March 21, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: March 21, 2026] Enterprise Earth

I was surprised that this show was scheduled to start at 7.  I made it to South St and realized I hadn’t been to a show on South St on a Saturday night in a really long time. On a weeknight it’s usually not too hard to get a decent spot, but on a Saturday night–yikes.  I was lucky to score the last ADA spot a few blocks away.

By the time I got to the venue it was like 6:45.  I had actually thought that if I missed Enterprise Earth it would be fine, but the place was PACKED, so I’m glad I got there so early–I was able to sneak up to near the stage on the side safely away from a potential mosh pit.

I didn’t know Enterprise Earth who are from Spokane WA.  They are a deathcore band and have been around since 2014.  Huh, interestingly, none of the original members are in the band anymore.  And their singer and bassist joined in 2021.  And their drummer joined in 2024.  Fascinating.  The longest tenured member joined in 2017.

They are very heavy with growled vocals, but a lot of high guitar riffs thrown into the overall heaviness.  The crowd was properly into them.

They were pretty great as an opening band because they did everything they could to get the crowd moving.  During every song singer Travis Worland, encouraged or demanded either horns up, or a circle pit or crowd surfing or whatever else he could demand of people. (more…)

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Tom Odell / Jade Bird (Theatre of Living Arts (TLA), Philadelphia, PA, Septmber 21, 2025) [CANCELLED]

Posted in Jade Bird, Philadelphia, PA, Theatre of Living Arts, Tom Odell on September 21, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 21, 2025] Tom Odell / Jade Bird

I had never heard of Tom Odell. The only reason this show was on my radar is because Jade Bird was opening.  How could Jade Bird, who gets massive airplay and love in Philly be opening for someone I’ve never heard of?

Of course, I heard  the name Tom Odell and though of Tom Bodett who is not the same in any way, but it still made me laugh.

Evidently he is very highly regarded and has been around since 2012. Just off my radar I guess.  But his whole tour was ultimately cancelled:

“Due to an unforeseen change in my schedule and the associated logistics, sadly we need to reschedule the upcoming May dates in the US. This has also affected some of the September US shows.

I assume this is why Jade Bird scheduled some headline shows in the area, since her tour was cancelled.

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Gigi Perez / Nikole (Theatre of Living Arts (TLA), Philadelphia, PA, May 5, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Gigi Perez, Nikole, Philadelphia, PA, Theatre of Living Arts on May 5, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 5, 2025] Gigi Perez / Nikole

My daughter and I saw Gigi Perez open for Girl in Red and I was really interested in seeing her as a headliner.  But this show was up against DEVO and I wasn’t going to pass one DEVO.

Since this show I’ve seen her two more times (in short sets, but still) so I don’t mind having missed this one.

Nikole is one of many artists who drive me crazy by going by their first name.  If you have an unusual name sure.  But hey, Nikole, even with a k is not unusual enough.  This person is very hard to search for.

If I have the right person she grew up in Florida and her mom is Venezuelan, and her dad is Lebanese.  She speaks Spanish but sings in English.  I’ve listened to a couple of songs.  She has a great voice and her songs are catchy with some cool guitar work on top.  But seriously, she needs a new stage name.

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Arch Enemy / Fit for an Autopsy / BAEST / Thrown Into Exile (Theatre of Living Arts (TLA), Philadelphia, PA, May 5, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Arch Enemy, Baest, Fit for an Autopsy, Philadelphia, PA, Theatre of Living Arts, Thrown into Exile on May 5, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 5, 2025] Arch Enemy / Fit for an Autopsy / BAEST / Thrown Into Exile

I saw Arch Enemy open for Behemoth back in 2022.  I didn’t really know them before hand, but I enjoyed their set quite a lot.  And I took a photo of singer Alissa White-Gluz that is one of my favorite concert photos ever.

I don’t think I really had any interest in the show, especially since I didn’t know any of the other three bands.  But the fact that they were playing at TLA held my interest for a little while at least.

Fit for an Autopsy is a band I’ve been aware of for a while, but I had never listened to them.  I hate to say they are another band with a growly singer, but they are.   The good thing is that you can actually understand what he says (it’s pretty dark, duh).  And they do have some really catchy parts in their songs.  They’d probably be enjoyable live.

I had not heard of Baest who is a Danish death metal band formed in 2015.  I like that their name was initially spelled Bæst, the Danish word for “beast” or “brute.”  That makes me happier than thinking  they just wanted to spell Beast weirdly.

They have a pretty classic European metal guitar sound with a really deep growly vocalist.  They’re more punishing than Fit for an Autopsy by my reckoning.

Thrown into Exile is a band from L.A.  They’ve been around forever, although I’d never heard of them.  The singer has a kind of barking style that I don’t really like.

This would have been an exhausting night of metal.

 

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Varietourpia with Paul F. Tompkins (Theatre of Living Arts [TLA], Philadelphia, PA, May 4, 2025)

Posted in Artoun Nazareth, Medusa the Gangsta Goddess, Paul F. Tompkins, Philadelphia, PA, Theatre of Living Arts, Varietourpia on May 5, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 4, 2025] Varietourpia with Paul F. Tompkins

Paul F. Tompkins is one of my favorite comedians and I would happily see him do anything.  Although this is the first time I’ve been able to see one of his Varietopia shows.

As the name suggests, this is a Variety show like they had in the old days: comedy, music, interaction, magic.  All in one show.  He’s been doing this since 2002 (!) and it sounds like when he does the show in L.A. anyone who is funny or entertaining shows up.

For our show, we had Medusa the Gangsta Goddess and Artoun Nazareth.  Not household names by any means.

Medusa the Gangsta Goddess is an underground hip-hop legend whom I’ve never heard of.  She was fun and is referred to as the godmother of west coast hip hop.

Artoun Nazareth is a magician who I thought was really good and very funny.  I was gobsmacked by a trick in which writing appeared to move across a page and turn into something else.

Nazareth is also an actor, so it makes sense that he was such a good performer.  He did fun crowd work and was good enough that I immediately followed him on Instagram. (more…)

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half•alive / The Walters / Mehro (Fillmore Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, April 9, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in half•alive, mehro, Philadelphia, PA, The Walters, Theatre of Living Arts on April 9, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 9, 2025] half•alive / The Walters / Mehro

I first heard of half•alive on a Tiny Desk Concert.

I’ve been interested in seeing the band because their stage show is legendary–they have two guys who basically dance–they choreograph dances for the songs.

I missed them in 2023 when they played TLA.  My friend Lindsy is a huge fan and was very excited to go to the show. She got there early and even met the band.  But The Fillmore was too big of a venue for me to “check out” this band, so I didn’t go.  I know that half alive is pretty dancey in an alt kind of way and I’m sure I’d like them live, but I didn’t feel like going.

The Walters played on a half•alive song so I see the connection.  They’re a bit more low-key than half•alive, though.  They remind me of AJR (but the less wacky parts).  Catchy though.

mehro pronounced “marrow,”

the name mehro encapsulates their goal of seeping into the literal DNA of listeners. “The concept was born from bone marrow: It’s essential for us to live, but we never see it,” recalls mehro.

Woah.

mehro’s rich, multi-layered music has an airy, dreamlike sound that lures the listener in before giving way to the bleak emotions bubbling just below the surface.

I listened to a song and enjoyed the mix of lo-fi bedroom pop and full band screaming choruses.  They defied my expectation for sure.

For ease of searching I include half alive.

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Mogwai / Ye Gods / Brainiac (Theatre of Living Arts [TLA], Philadelphia, PA, April 8, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in 3RA1N1AC, Brainiac, Mogwai, Philadelphia, PA, Theatre of Living Arts, Ye Gods on April 8, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 8, 2025] Mogwai / Ye Gods / Brainiac

There were four shows that I wanted to go to on this night.  But this was my top choice.

I saw Mogwai and Ye Gods almost exactly 3 years ago at this same venue (April 6).

Mogwai were amazing.  And I knew I’d want to see them again.

I liked the name Ye Gods, but my take away was

I wonder if it would have been more enjoyable from further back?  If the sound was better back there. Or maybe seeing how the sausage was made was a little weird?  Either way, it was fine and it was fun to see him as he made the sounds, but I felt like with a name like Ye Gods, it might have been a bit more fun.

Brainiac (3RA1N1AC) was the unknown quantity for me.  I had heard of them but didn’t know much about them.  I have since learned that they were a weird, electro-driven, frantically spastic, experimentally noisy art-punk band.  They put out three albums and then disbanded after the sudden death of lead singer Tim Taylor in a car accident on May 23, 1997.

I’ve seen a few live clips.  This one from KEXP is particularly good and it makes me really wish I had seen them.   But my wife had just had surgery and I wasn’t going anywhere.

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