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Archive for the ‘Underground Arts’ Category

Earthless / Ecstatic Vision / Riff Mountain DJs (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, September 8, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Earthless, Ecstatic Vision, Philadelphia, PA, Riff Mountain DJs, Underground Arts on September 8, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 8, 2022] Earthless / Ecstatic Vision / Riff Mountain DJs

I jotted down this show as one I’d like to check out and then I forgot all about it and the bands that were playing.  So a little later I even wrote, who the hell are Earthless.

Well, this was a heavy psych/stoner rock super bill that would have been fun to see live.

Earthless has been around since 2001.  They are a mostly instrumental psychedelic rock band from San Diego, California, consisting of guitarist Isaiah Mitchell, bassist Mike Eginton and drummer Mario Rubalcaba.  I really enjoyed their overall vibe.  I also love that their second album is made of 2 20 minute songs (one with five parts).  Although they also have a song “Volt Rush” that’s under two minutes and kicks much ass.  Although I prefer the instrumentals.

Ecstatic Vision are from Philly and they continue with the fuzzy…everything.  They describe themselves as “Trance inducing raw heavy psych. Ecstatic Vision is Doug Zabolchech, Kevin Nickles, Michael Field Connor and Ricky Culp.”

The song I listened to “Astral Plane” is 13 minutes of heavy fuzziness.  Vocals come in about 5 minutes in and I didn’t really like them.  Maybe this kind of music is meant to be instrumental.

Since I’m not in the know, I can’t quite figure out what Riff Mountain DJs are.  Their Instagram profile says Philadelphia DJ Collective / All Rock / All Wax.  So I guess they spin heavy songs before and between bands?

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Fucked Up (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, July 17, 2022) [rescheduled]

Posted in Fucked Up, Philadelphia, PA, Robin Hatch, The Rural Alberta Advantage, Underground Arts on July 17, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: July 17, 2022] Fucked Up [moved from January 23, 2021]

I’ve been intrigued by Canadian band Fucked Up since I first heard of them. Obviously they had no intention of getting mainstream success with a name like that.  And yet, their music has turned heads.

Which is also a bit of a puzzle because, while it can be very, very catchy, lead singer Pink Eyes screams like the lyrics are comic from the pit of his soul (although you can actually understand most of what he says, which is a neat trick).

Pink Eyes is Damian Abraham who had led the band since 2001.

Fascinatingly, the band won the Polaris Prize in 2009 (for an album with mostly guest vocalists).  They followed up that album with david Comes to Life in 2011–a rock opera set in 1970s and 1980s England. The story involves unreliable narrators and meta-narrative plot devices.

And so it was that in 2021, they were going to do a ten year anniversary and pay the album front to back.  It was postponed, but, undaunted, they pressed on in 2022.

I had never seen Fucked Up before, but had a pretty good idea what to expect.  And yet they exceeded any expectation.

The band came out on stage while a projection of the band with their logo was on the screen behind them.  They played the opening song (an instrumental) and then Damian came out in sweatpants, and a black vinyl glove (he later revealed that he had cut his hand and this was protecting his from getting blood everywhere).  He proceeded to do his screaming thing. (more…)

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Pony (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, July 17, 2022) [FUCKED UP] [rescheduled]

Posted in Empath, Fucked Up, My Little Pony, Philadelphia, PA, Pony, Underground Arts on July 17, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: July 17, 2022] Pony [moved from January 23, 2021]

I had not heard of Pony before this show.  I was interested in hearing the original opening band, Empath, who are a Philly band that play a kind of noise punk.  Rolling Stone says “They sound like four people who sat in a room flexing their own freaky styles until — before they realized their interests might be wholly incompatible — the chaos created its own logic.”  They sound pretty great.

But Pony are a pop punk band from Toronto and they were fantastic.

Pony is fronted by Sam Bielanski who plays guitar and sings.  She is also a voice actress and voiced Jazz in My Little Pony: Tell Your Tale (hence the band name).

For a couple of songs at the end Sam didn’t play guitar she just sang and dominated the stage, stomping around in Doc Martins and a plaid skirt. (more…)

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The Lemon Twigs / Tchotchke (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, May 13, 2022) [rescheduled] [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Tchotchke, The Lemon Twigs, Underground Arts on May 13, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 13, 2022] The Lemon Twigs / Tchotchke [rescheduled from May 16, 2020]

I discovered The Lemon Twigs a few years ago and really enjoyed their glam rock sound and I imagined that they would be a ton of fun live.  The band is technically a duo, although I don’t know if they have more people on stage with them.

I really liked The Lemon Twigs’ Do Hollywood album and their follow up EPs showed even more development.  Since then they have put out a few albums, and I have enjoyed them.

I have rather wanted to see them–this new tour, which was playing at TWO locations really close to me seemed to be an easy way to catch them.

We had a school day scheduled for this day and it ran much longer than I imagined, so even though I had tickets, there was no way to get to the show.

Tchotchke is a band from New York comprised of Anastasia Sanchez, Eva Chambers and Emily Tooraen.  They used to be called Pinky Pinky which I think is a much more apt name for the style of music they play–it’s a kind of an updated doo-wop, pop sheen aesthetic.

Really not my thing, although I heard that if you went to their merch booth after the show they handed out a tchotchke to each person.

 

 

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Destroyer / Rosali (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, May 6, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Dan Bejar, Destroyer, Philadelphia, PA, Rosali, Underground Arts on May 6, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 6, 2020] Destroyer / Rosali

It was just over two years ago that Destroyer was the last show I saw before the pandemic shut everything down.  So, Destroyer will always have a warm place in my heart because of that.  When this show was announced, I immediately bought tickets for it.

Then, over the next few weeks, SIX other shows were posted for that very same night.  Gogol Bordello, Sunflower Bean, Olivia Rodrigo (which sold out long before I could get a ticket), Lucius and Pup (which my son and I went to).

Pup was a big hit in my house and so we decided to go to that one.

I’m sure Dan and his team will be back for another tour in the not too distant future.

I saw Rosali open for Graham Coxon.

Here’s what I had to say about her in 2018

She is a Philadelphia-based singer songwriter with two albums out (her last album got some pretty glowing reviews).

She has a lovely voice which reminded me of Aimee Mann.  …  But the problem was that there were no hooks in her songs.

She also had very little stage presence.  She stated as much, confessing that stage banter wasn’t her thing.  No kidding.  One time she asked if anyone watched the news today, after some mild boos, she didn’t follow it up.  Every other time that she tuned, she was basically quiet.  In fact, she never said her name, the most basic thing you do when tuning your guitar.

The other problem was her guitar.  She was playing an electric guitar and was primarily playing slowly, picked notes.  But the settings of this guitar–so clean and sharp–were not helping with her voice at all, which was pretty and rather quiet.

She needed either some echo or vibrato or even an acoustic guitar to let the music resonate more.  She made a number of chord flubs which is no big deal but which really stood out since she was by herself and her guitar was so unforgiving.

I hope that her stage show has gotten better in the last four years, because I did really like her voice.

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Psychedelic Porn Crumpets / Acid Dad (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, May 5, 2022) [POSTPONED]

Posted in Acid Dad, Philadelphia, PA, Postponed, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, Underground Arts on May 5, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[POSTPONED: May 5, 2022] Psychedelic Porn Crumpets / Acid Dad [postponed to October 21, 2022]

I’m not exactly sure how I discovered Psychedelic Porn Crumpets.  They are an Australian band and they are weird and pretty wonderful.

I have been really getting into them and Acid Dad (thanks to the Levitation live shows.

Sadly, but only mildly sadly, I received an email on March 30:

Due to circumstances both unforeseen and beyond our control, the Psychedelic Porn Crumpets show at Underground Arts originally scheduled for May 5, 2022, has been Rescheduled to Friday, October 21st, 2022.

No big deal, they’ll be just a great in the fall as they would be in the spring.

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Nilüfer Yanya / Tasha / Ada Lea (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, May 4, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Ada Lea, Nilüfer Yanya, Philadelphia, PA, Tasha, Underground Arts on May 4, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 4, 2022] Nilüfer Yanya / Tasha / Ada Lea

I saw Nilüfer Yanya back in 2019.  She opened for Sharon Van Etten.  For some reason I keep thinking that she was the headliner for that show.  Which I guess is why I thought it was strange that she was downsizing to Underground Arts.  But she’s now headlining with this tour.

This had been a very busy concert time for me, so I didn’t buy a ticket for this show right away.

Then my Spoon show which had been postponed in April was rescheduled for this same date.  So I was glad I hadn’t bought the ticket yet.

I have rather enjoyed her new album though and would like to see her again.  I’m sure she’s become even more dynamic of a performer.

Tasha (I have to say that there are far too many one-named people with just a first name.  Why do you think that’s okay?  How are people supposed to find you?) is a singer from Chicago.  She has a lovely voice and sings a blend of folk and torch song.  She’d be a great addition to Yanya’s show

Ada Lea (not a one-name singer, as her name is Alexandra Levy) is a Canadian singer who plays slightly up-tempo folk.  She sings a bit like Andy Shauf–what’s up with this style being so prominent?

I’m rather taken with her bio’s blurb about her record:

classic, soft-rock beauty to intimate finger-picked folk passages and night-drive art-pop. And the textures are frequently surprising due to the collage of lo-fi and hi-fi sounds that tastefully decorate the album without ever clouding the heart-center of the song.

I’ve really enjoyed what I heard from her so far–it’s quiet moody and interesting.  I bet she’s great live.

For ease of searching I include: Nilufer Yanya

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Behemoth (The Fillmore Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, April 29, 2022)

Posted in Arch Enemy, Behemoth, Napalm Death, Philadelphia, PA, Underground Arts, Unto Others on May 2, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: April 29, 2022] Behemoth

Behemoth is a Polish extreme metal band.  I’ve never been to an extreme metal show before and figure it would be fun (I guess) to see one.

Behemoth have been around for over twenty years and have stirred up their share of controversy.  As NME wrote: Singer Nergal was prosecuted for blasphemy a decade ago for ripping up a bible on stage, but he argued his right to free speech and won the case, having to neither draw pentagrams in salt nor shed the blood of any lambs in the process.

NME also notes: When he is not onstage, he hosted the Polish version of Pop Idol, he runs a chain of barbershops and is a qualified museum curator.

I had heard that Behemoth live shows were legendary.  So I waited to see what would come next.

There were three sculpted microphone stands on the stage and a giant drum set in the back.  There was a sculpture behind the drum riser and lots of pyro.

Then the band came out in corpse paint looking ominous and intense.

The music started.  It was relentless and powerful and the crowd went berserk.  There were clearly long-time fans who knew the words to all the songs.  There was a massive pit in the center of the room.  But mostly there was the band.

Lead singer and guitarist Nergal was in the middle, conducting the whole thing.  Behind him was long time drummer Inferno.

We were in front of bassist Orion and on the other side was a behemoth of a guitarist Seth.

At some point Nergal changed outfits and was wearing a Pope hat.  Orion spit blood in the air and at the audience.  Seth stomped all around the stage and Inferno blasted the hell out of his drums.

It was intense and exhausting (especially after three other bands).  I was pretty wiped out by the end of the show and decided that I probably didn’t need to see any more extreme metal bands.

Behemoth had destroyed them all.

  1. Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer §
  2. Wolves ov Siberia ♥
  3. Ov Fire and the Void €
  4. Evoe Δ
  5. Christians to the Lions ¢
  6. Bartzabel ♥
  7. Conquer All δ
  8. Ov My Herculean Exile Ø
  9. Decade of Therion ¥
  10. Slaves Shall Serve δ
  11. Chant for Eschaton 2000 ¥
  12. O Father O Satan O Sun! §

Ø Opvs Contra Natvram (2022)
Δ A Forest EP (2020)
♥ I Loved You at Your Darkest (2018)
§ The Satanist (2014)
€ Evangelion (2009)
δ Demigod (2004)
¢ Thelema.6 (2000)
¥ Satanica (1999)

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Ho99o9 / N8NOFACE / GHÖSH (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, May 2, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in GHÖSH, Ho99o9, N8NOFACE, Philadelphia, PA, Underground Arts on May 2, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: March 18, 2023] Ho99o9 / N8NOFACE / GHÖSH

I was not really familiar with Ho99o9 when this show was announced.  I looked them up and decided that although their sets are probably pretty awesome, that this show might be a little too much for me.

As one review says

The destruction really started a few songs in during ‘Street Power’ and new song ‘Forest Fires’ off their latest EP Cyber Cop, the distorted drums and deafening bass shook the room as the duo bounced around the stage like human bouncy balls, just before Eaddy took a first class flight off the stage; jumping on top of the awaiting audience, before climbing back on to the stage to finish up.

….

Tonight’s show was the definition of insanity, bodies flying all around the room, mosh pits opening up anywhere there was available space; Ho99o9 have been able to secure some of the most dedicated and passionate fans in the scene, no matter where they play no doubt there will be fans there to listen!

In a small place like Underground Arts, it might have been overwhelming. (more…)

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Arch Enemy (The Fillmore Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, April 29, 2022) [BEHEMOTH]

Posted in Arch Enemy, Behemoth, Napalm Death, Philadelphia, PA, Underground Arts, Unto Others on May 1, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: April 29, 2022] Arch Enemy

I wasn’t really familiar with Arch Enemy.  I knew of them, but I wasn’t aware that they have had two female singers who can growl with the best of them.

The band is based in Sweden, but Angela Gossow–a legend among fans–was a German screamer who sang with the band for 14 years.  When she retired, Gossow recommended Alissa White-Gluz from Canadian metal band The Agonist as her replacement, and remained business manager for the band.

So I got to see White-Gluz in all fo her blue-haired glory.

She held the entire audience rapt.  Between her soaring voice and her guttural growls, it was hard to take your eyes off of her.  Which I suppose the band is used to, but it is their band too, you know?

The music was heavy.  Solid, old school metal with some modern flourishes.

Alissa was lead singer on two albums, but they played music from throughout their catalog.

The most notable thing for me, though, was that a Dad had brought his little girl (I think she was six), and she got up to the front (with big noise cancelling headphones on) and Alissa saw her and waved and later on gave her a setlist.  Sweet.

It’s possible that Arch Enemy is the more popular of the two band (I believe they alternated headline acts), but it would be hard to follow Behemoth’s stage show, even with a highly polished and rocking show like Arch Enemy’s.

  1. Set Flame to the Night [taped entrance]
  2. Deceiver, Deceiver ⊗
  3. The World Is Yours
  4. Ravenous §
  5. War Eternal ψ
  6. My Apocalypse ™
  7. House of Mirrors ⊗
  8. The Eagle Flies Alone
  9. Under Black Flags We March £
  10. Dead Bury Their Dead §
  11. Nemesis ™
  12. Fields of Desolation €
  13. Enter the Machine [taped exit] ™

⊗ Deceivers (2022)
¶ Will to Power (2017)
ψ War Eternal (2014)
£ Khaos Legions (2011)
™ Doomsday Machine (2005)
§ Wages of Sin (2001)
€ Black Earth (1996)

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