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Archive for the ‘Union Transfer’ Category

Chicano Batman / Lido Pimienta (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 12, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Chicano Batman, Lido Pimienta, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on May 12, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 12, 2024] Chicano Batman 

I saw Chicano Batman three years ago and really enjoyed the show and the vibe of the crowd.

I would definitely had gone to the show except for three reasons.

  1. Avatar, Oxymorrons, Conquer Divide were the same night and I would have gone to that show in a heartbeat
  2. Neil Young & Crazy Horse, a show my wife and I were over the moon to see.
  3. It was Mother’s Day.  If the other two shows hadn’t existed, I was still going to be home for Mother’s Day.

Lido Pimienta had a song that was on WXPN a few years ago that I really liked.

She is a Colombian Canadian musician, singer, and songwriter whose 2016 album, La Papessa, won the 2017 Polaris Music Prize.  She plays traditional indigenous and Afro-Colombian musical styles such as Cumbia and Bullerengue and merges it with contemporary synthpop and electronic music.

She’s quite delightful.

This would have been a really fun set.

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Sweet Pill / Equipment / Broke Body / Have a Good Season (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 10, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Broke Body, Equipment, Have a Good Season, Philadelphia, PA, Sweet Pill, Union Transfer on May 10, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 10, 2024] Sweet Pill / Equipment / Broke Body / Have a Good Season

Sweet Pill opened for Pool Kids last year.  But I arrived too late and missed them.

The other bands raved about them so I was interested in checking them out.  I was really surprised that they had a headline spot at Union Transfer.  And they sold it out!  Very impressive.

I decided I didn’t care enough to go to a four-band show if I didn’t even know the headliners.

Philadelphia’s Sweet Pill writes eruptive emo songs that embrace the edges of pop and hardcore. The kind of band whose members are fully immersed in their local scene—through a handful of notable side projects (twentythreenineteen / Goings / Harm Assist / typopro) and the show-promoting Philly staple 4333 Collective—the quintet’s sound takes wide-spectrum influence from its environment. The result is an amalgam of complex song structures and flourishes of technical acumen, wholly unconcerned with genre, yet evoking the specific styles of touchstones such as Paramore and Circa Survive.

I personally hear a huge amount of Pool Kids in their music, without the wild guitar pyro that Pool Kids use. (more…)

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Ty Segall / Sharpie Smile (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, April 28, 2024)

Posted in Kamikaze Palm Tree, Philadelphia, PA, Sharpie Smile, Ty Segall, Union Transfer on April 28, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 28, 2024] Ty Segall / Sharpie Smile

I bought a ticket to this show in August.  AUGUST!  I’d been waiting nine months to see Ty Segall (as I’d missed him five previous times for various reasons).  I didn’t really want to see him solo, and I assumed this was  full band show (which it was).

But then our friends invites us over for a Passover Dinner and we couldn’t say no.  I thought maybe I could squeeze in the show afterward, but damn, that’s a long dinner.

I’m about to give up on ever seeing Ty Segall.  Next time he announces a local show, I’m no buying a ticket ahead of time.

Sharpie Smile is a dup who were formerly called Kamikaze Palm Tree.  (more…)

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Black Country, New Road / Camera Picture (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, April 25, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Black Country New Roads, Black Midi, Camera Picture, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on April 25, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 25, 2024] Black Country, New Road / Camera Picture

I was vaguely intrigued when Black Country, New Road first came out (NPR music loved them).  I mean this blurb from 2021 was amazing sounding

the new band I’m most excited to see when they come back is a group of U.K. art-school kids called Black Country, New Road. Their 2019 single “Sunglasses” is a 10-minute swirl of post-punk, jazz, long blurted spoken-word passages and frenzied klezmer freak-outs. It’s a wild song, and it must be incredible to take in live.

And then, maybe I was getting ready to g to a U.S. show at Johnny Brenda’s, when

On 31 January 2022, lead vocalist and guitarist Isaac Wood announced his sudden departure from the band four days before the release of Ants From Up There via the band’s Instagram, citing struggles with his mental health. This resulted in the cancelling of the band’s planned first US tour.

(more…)

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Mike / 454 / Niontay / El Cousteau (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, April 17, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in 454, El Cousteau , Mike, Niontay, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on April 17, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 17, 2024] Mike / 454 / Niontay / El Cousteau 

This one is embarrassing for me because I bought a ticket for this show thinking that Mike was somebody else.

I’ve wanted to try to see a few more rappers live–I really enjoyed Open Mike Eagle there’s a few alt-rappers who I like.  One of them is DAVE, from England.  Dave sold out TLA pretty quickly when he came two years ago.  So when it was announced that MIKE was playing, I bought a ticket thinking that a) the show would sell out and b) that MIKE was DAVE.

I had never heard of Mike and didn’t know there was another rapper with an insanely common first name as his rap name.  Obviously I should have confirmed that I wanted to see Dave not Mike, but I was caught up in the excitement.

Mike’s sound is pretty good although he’s a but of a mumbler.  I still figured that I’d go until Girl in Red announced a show for the same night and there was no way I was missing Girl in Red with my daughter. (more…)

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Swans (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, April 13, 2024)

Posted in Kristof Hanh, Philadelphia, PA, Swans, Union Transfer on April 13, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: April 13, 2024] Swans

I have been a fan of Swans since 1988.  I have a lot of their records on vinyl.  I have more on CD.  I went through a deep dive of Swans fandom  after college and then pretty much drifted away from them.

I’d been kind of intimidated away from seeing them live for years–I heard their shows were punishingly loud and that Michael Gira could be a rather contrary front man.

But my pal Phil Puleo has been playing drums with them for years and I thought it was time to see him and them.  (I had tickets to see them in 2021, but COVID).

So here they were back again.

The biggest surprise to me was that they were not as loud as I suspected.  That may not have been everyone’s experience, but I really expected to be knocked back by the sound and yes, it was loud–without earplugs I ‘d have been crying–but not THAT loud.

Early Swans albums were full of slow, loud, pummeling songs.  The songs are still slow and are still loud, but there’s a lot more subtlety (relatively) in them.

I also had some idea of what this show was like–all new songs–but I genuinely didn’t expect the first song, “The Beggar” to run over an hour!

It began very quietly with leader Michael Gira strumming one chord on an acoustic guitar.  For about five minutes.  He made some vocal sounds which I don’t think were words and then, ever so slowly, the rest of the band joined in.

Kristof Hahn on lap steel was right in front of me and it was fun watching him as he added all kinds of ambient sounds–from quiet to outrageous.

Behind him was Dana Schechter who played a lap steel (possibly modified, I couldn’t see it by she seemed to make different sounds) and occasional bass guitar.  For most of the set I could see her pretty clearly (although not her lap steel), but toward the end a tall person blocked her from me. (more…)

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Kristof Hanh (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, April 13, 2024)

Posted in Kristof Hanh, Philadelphia, PA, Swans, Union Transfer on April 13, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: April 13, 2024] Kristof Hanh

I have been a fan of Swans since 1988.  I have a lot of their records on vinyl.  I have more on CD.  I went through a deep dive of Swans fandom  after college and then pretty much drifted away from them.

I’d been kind of intimidated away from seeing them live for years–I heard their shows were punishingly loud and that Michael Gira could be a rather contrary front man.

But my pal Phil Puleo has been playing drums with them for years and I thought it was time to see him and them.  (I had tickets to see them in 2021, but COVID).

So here they were back again.

I wasn’t sure who the opener, Kristof Hanh, was.  But when I looked him up I saw that he has been a member of Swans on and off since 1989.  He mostly plays lap steel guitar but also plays other guitars.  He has, in fact, played lap steel on the most recent album and some other recent releases as well.

Wikipedia says

His approach to the lap-steel guitar is non-traditional, often devoted to playing drones that can serve as either supporting background elements or take a more prominent role in the band’s music.

He came out and sat at his lap steel which was right in front of me.  He started playing and then smiled and said he was demonstrating the importance of electricity.  He turned on his gear and started playing.  He uses lots of effects and his sound was, indeed, full of drones.  He played melodies but also kept a large sound in the overall chords that he played. (more…)

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Arlo Parks / Chloe George (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, March 29, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Arlo Parks, Chloe George, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on March 29, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: March 24, 2024] Arlo Parks / Chloe George

I had been trying to see Arlo Parks since 2021 when she sold out The Foundry (and I found out that there were tickets available day of, boo).  How weird that a year later, she was headlining Franklin Music Hall, one of the larger venues in Philly.

Arlo Parks was supposed to open for or co-headline with Clairo at the Fillmore on February 26 2022, but the show was cancelled and when Clairo came back around in July, she had a different opener (my daughter and I went to that show).

I was looking forward to seeing Arlo even if I don’t love Franklin Music Hall, but as the show approached, I was feeling less excited about the prospect.  I listened to her album and liked it, but didn’t know if I wanted to go all the way there for it.

Then I saw her at All Things Go (after I had the tickets for this show).  I enjoyed her set, but I wasn’t really blown away by it.  I assumed that it was because we were really far away and her songs are rather intimate.   I was pretty insistent that I was going to make this show, but as the day drew closer, I lost my motivation.

I didn’t feel all that great and I wasn’t especially interested in Chloe George.  Arlo’s set is barely over an hour, which gave me the split feeling–it’s not that long, I should go and I’m not driving an hour just for an hour show. Ultimately, I decided I didn’t feel like going out to the show.  But I did manage to sell my ticket!

I think this means I’m not going to be seeing Arlo live.

I hadn’t heard of Chloe George.  I don’t normally care so much about being “the old guy at shows geared to the youth, but occasionally I realize that I’m way older than everyone else at the show.  That’s how I felt when I read this about Chloe George

Chloe George, born Chloe Gasparini, is an American musician from Los Angeles. George rose to fame after a cover of “Ghost Town” she posted on TikTok went viral. George has co-written songs with artists such as Dua Lipa and Normani.

I listened to a few of her songs and didn’t think much of them.  So that made it even harder for me to want to go to this show.  I’m a little bummed but not terribly bummed that I didn’t go.

 

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Otoboke Beaver (おとぼけビ～バ～) (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, March 23, 2024)

Posted in おとぼけビ～バ～, Drinking Boys and Girls Choir, 드링킹소년소녀합창단, Otoboke Beaver, Party Nerves, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on March 25, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: March 23, 2024] Drinking Boys and Girls Choir [드링킹소년소녀합창단]

Otoboke Beaver is slowly moving up in North America.  They first played Philly’s Johnny Brenda’s, (250 capacity) then moved up to Underground Arts (650 capacity) and have now moved to the relatively big leagues of Union Transfer (1200 capacity).

All without having any presence in the States at all that I’m aware of.

So this was my third time seeing them and each time I have failed to get any meaningful pictures or videos.  Because each time, as soon as they start playing the crowd goes insane!  I thought that at Union Transfer, if I got there early enough, I ‘d could position myself away from the pit.  But from the first song I was pushed around and almost knocked down.  So I moved away from the center a bit and was still pushed around.  I don’t think the show sold out but it was packed up front!

This was  the biggest stage that I’d seen them on and they filled it pretty well.  Although I never did get close to bassist Hiro-Chan (who plays barefoot) for the whole show.  In fact I barely saw her between the heads of people around me.

This was the first time I could see drummer Kahokiss because she was on a riser, but she was surrounded by cymbals so I never actually got to see her, just her flying, furious arms.

Singer Accorinrin was hard to spot because of the tall guy in front of me, but she clearly made her presence known.  And, like last time, I was in awe when, before one of the songs, Accorinrin stood with her arm raised and the whole band waited for her to begin.  The crowd, not taking the hint, whooped it up, but she was clearly waiting for silence.  She stood and waited (like a teacher) in front of some 1,000 people, while every jackass had to whoo one last time and people finally started yelling “shut up.”  When things were quiet to her liking, she got the whole band to launch into the song in perfect sync.

Their songs are short and fast with serious time changes.  There is no margin for error.

The most fun member of the band is obviously guitarist Yoyoyoshie.  Between every few songs she screams in a crazy guttural voice, “WE ARE OTOBOKE BEAVER!”  She also talks the most between songs, telling about how she eats Philadelphia Cheese on the bus every day on tour.  She also commented that she loves the Phillies (especially the mascot).

Sure, their setlist has been virtually the same for the last two years (they are working on a new album), but it doesn’t really matter because the songs are frenetic and fun and are somewhat similar in style–there’s usually small things that are different between the songs.  Like a part that slows things down or a part that is kind of silly or funny or a great big chanting chorus.

As with every time I’ve seen them, I was quickly shoved aside from my original spot and had to fight to stand upright in the moshing crowd.  But with the band on the big stage it was a lot easier to watch them than it has been in the past.

When they finished the set after about an hour, they left the stage and then came back a few minutes later.  Yoyoyoshie had an inflatable beaver pool toy and threw it into the crowd, which everyone started batting around.  And then Yoyoyoshie herself surfed into the crowd and climbed into the Beaver!  It was wild and weird and super fun.  If I had been in the original spot I probably would have gotten to hold her up.

When she surfed back to the stage they played an encore.  Accorinrin said it was the first time the song was played in the US and said it was called “I don’t want to live with mother-in-law.”

This bodes well for a new album coming out soon.

And, yes, I’d see them again.  I wonder if they will move up to a bigger venue next time?  They didn’t sell out union transfer but they have sold out many of the venues on the tour.

2024 2023 2022
Yakitori § (ヤキトリ) Yakitori § (ヤキトリ) Yakitori § (ヤキトリ)
Akimahenka Ø Akimahenka Ø Akimahenka Ø
Don’t light my fire ⊗ Don’t light my fire ⊗ Don’t light my fire ⊗
Bad luck ⊗ Bad luck ⊗ Bad luck ⊗
S’il Vous Plait Ω (シルブプレ) S’il Vous Plait Ω (シルブプレ) S’il Vous Plait Ω (シルブプレ)
Love Is Short ♥ Love Is Short ♥ Love Is Short ♥
What do you mean you have talk to me at this late date? Ω (いまさらわたしに話ってなんえ) What do you mean you have talk to me at this late date? Ω (いまさらわたしに話ってなんえ) What do you mean you have talk to me at this late date? Ω (いまさらわたしに話ってなんえ)
Introduce me to your family ♥ Introduce me to your family ♥ Introduce me to your family ♥
Datsu . Hikage no onna ⊗ (脱・日陰の女) Datsu . Hikage no onna ⊗ (脱・日陰の女) Datsu . Hikage no onna ⊗ (脱・日陰の女)
Dirty old fart is waiting for my reaction § (​ジ​ジ​イ is waiting for my reaction) Dirty old fart is waiting for my reaction § (​ジ​ジ​イ is waiting for my reaction) Don’t call me Mojo § (呼ばんといて喪女)
I am not maternal § (アイドンビリーブマイ母性)  I am not maternal § (アイドンビリーブマイ母性)  George & Janice § (ジョージ&ジャニス)
Don’t call me Mojo § (呼ばんといて喪女) Don’t call me Mojo § (呼ばんといて喪女) Dirty old fart is waiting for my reaction § (​ジ​ジ​イ is waiting for my reaction)
I put my love to you in a song JASRAC § (あなたとの恋、歌にしてJASRAC) PARDON? § (パードゥン？)  I am not maternal § (アイドンビリーブマイ母性) 
PARDON? § (パードゥン？)  Nabe party with pocket brothers § (穴兄弟で鍋パーティー)  Nabe party with pocket brothers § (穴兄弟で鍋パーティー) 
I checked your cellphone § (​携​帯​み​て​し​ま​い​ま​し​た​) I put my love to you in a song JASRAC § (あなたとの恋、歌にしてJASRAC)  I put my love to you in a song JASRAC § (あなたとの恋、歌にしてJASRAC)
I won’t dish out salads § (サラダ取り分けませんことよ) George & Janice § (ジョージ&ジャニス) I checked your cellphone § (​携​帯​み​て​し​ま​い​ま​し​た​)
Leave me alone! No, stay with me! § (リーブミーアローンやっぱさっきのなしでステイウィズミ) I checked your cellphone § (​携​帯​み​て​し​ま​い​ま​し​た​) PARDON? § (パードゥン？) 
I don’t want to die alone § (孤独死こわい)  I won’t dish out salads § (サラダ取り分けませんことよ) I won’t dish out salads § (サラダ取り分けませんことよ)
First-class side-guy § (一級品の間男) Leave me alone! No, stay with me! § (リーブミーアローンやっぱさっきのなしでステイウィズミ) Leave me alone! No, stay with me! § (リーブミーアローンやっぱさっきのなしでステイウィズミ)
Anata Watashi Daita Ato Yome No Meshi ⊗ (あなたわたし抱いたあとよめのめし) I don’t want to die alone § (孤独死こわい)  I don’t want to die alone § (孤独死こわい) 
encore First-class side-guy § (一級品の間男) First-class side-guy § (一級品の間男)
Shutome to Dokyo B-DASH Kaigo
(First time played in North America)
 Anata Watashi Daita Ato Yome No Meshi ⊗ (あなたわたし抱いたあとよめのめし) Anata Watashi Daita Ato Yome No Meshi ⊗ (あなたわたし抱いたあとよめのめし)
encore encore
Ai no Bourobon ~bakuro book~ Ω (愛の暴露本) Ai no Bourobon ~bakuro book~ Ω (愛の暴露本)
encore 2
SETLISTS are similar at most venues with these possible changes

Love Is Short ♥ may have been Bakuro Book
Introduce Me to Your Family ♥ may have been 6 day working week is a pain

 Let’s shopping after show § (レッツショッピングアフターショー)
§ SUPER CHAMPON (2022) ス​ー​パ​ー​チ​ャ​ン​ポ​ン
⊗ ITEKOMA HITS (2019)
♥ Love Is Short EP (2017)
Ø Okoshiyasu!! Otoboke Beaver (2016)
Ω Ai no Bourobon ~bakuro book~ EP (2016)

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Drinking Boys and Girls Choir [드링킹소년소녀합창단] (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, March 23, 2024) [OTOBOKE BEAVER]

Posted in Drinking Boys and Girls Choir, 드링킹소년소녀합창단, Otoboke Beaver, Party Nerves, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on March 24, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: March 23, 2024] Drinking Boys and Girls Choir [드링킹소년소녀합창단]

I’ve had limited exposure to Drinking Boys and Girls Choir, except that they are on the same label as Otoboke Beaver.  I knew that they were from South Korea, but only recently learned that Daegu is one of the most conservative cities in the country (“it sucks,” singer/bassist Meena Bae said).

Meena Bae 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!).

I was really excited that they were opening for Otoboke Beaver.  I was hoping to buy a copy of their record but I forgot a bag and I didn’t want to hole a record for the entire show (and it’s a good thing, too as Otoboke Beaver fans are wild).

The trio came out and immediately launched into their rockingest songs.  Their debut album Keep Drinking!! is more wild and fun than the follow up Marriage License, although Marriage still rocks pretty hard.  They played songs from both albums and really mixed up the intensity and pacing of the show.

I was in front of Megan, but Meena was very active, running around the stage and making sure we all saw her as she danced and hopped.  She was a bundle of energy and a lot of fun, too.

Their songs are punky and super catchy with lots of backing vocals.  The first couple of songs were fast with the band showing off their chops.  Meena jumped around and Myeong-jin (who goes by MJ) was an impressive drummer–fast and intense and always on beat.

During “Red Shift,” Megan demonstrated her guitar chops with some super impressive soloing.

Some of their songs featured lead vocals by one of their previous members, but they played them anyhow and they sounded great.

But even if the newer songs are a bit softer, “Hit the Corner” is fast and heavy and I was fascinated to see the MJ had a double bass drum pedal and was using it furiously.

Some of the lyrics are in Korean and some in English, so it’s fun to try to figure out if you can figure out the fast words or if they are in Korean.

I was really surprised to hear them play “Linda Linda” a song t hat I know of because of the band The Linda Lindas.  I thought it was odd that they would play this song until I found out that they recorded a single of it before the U.S. band had become known and, in fact, have been playing the song for years.  That’s pretty cool.  Meena jumped off the stage and chatted with a little girl whose name was Lynn.  It was really cute.

“National Police Shit” is super catchy, sung in English and really quite funny.  It’s less than 2 minutes long and features the line “This is just Skateboard!”

It was followed by “History” their first single recorded with Megan (a new album is on the way, I believe).  They ended with a rocking version of “Wish” and Meena ran into the audience to do some slam dancing with the crowd (all while playing).  Then she ran back up on stage to lead the band in a blistering version of their anthemic song Keep Drinking!

The show was awesome and I think they’re winning over audiences all over North America.

(more…)

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