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Archive for the ‘Union Transfer’ Category

Altin Gün / Rogê (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, July 29, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Altin Gün, Philadelphia, PA, Rogê, Union Transfer on July 29, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: July 29, 2023] Altin Gün / Rogê

Altin Gün is a Turkish psychedelic band from The Netherlands.  (Their name means Golden Day).

Their live shows are supposed to be wonderful as well:

Altin Gün’s relentless grooves are truly immersive, anti-elitist, inclusive. It’s truly music for the dancefloor – all dancefloors. Altin Gün are the perfect 21st Century psych band, hinting at a deep record collection while still belonging to a living tradition and having a unique and distinctive voice
[from Forestpunk].

They played Underground Arts last year but I couldn’t go.  I’m impressed that they moved up to Union Transfer this year–good for them.

I bought a ticket this year because I’d been listening to and enjoying their new album.  But it seemed like this show was destined for me not to go. (more…)

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Nanna / Indigo Sparke (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, July 21, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Indigo Sparke, Nanna, Of Monsters and Men, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on July 21, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: July 21, 2023] Nanna / Indigo Sparke

Nanna is the main singer (and creative force) behind Of Monsters and Men.
I was intrigued by the announcement of her solo tour, but i wasn’t sure if I wanted to see her.

Then Blondshell announced her show the same night as this one and I decided I’d rather see her than Nanna.

Turns out we have another obligation that night anyhow, so the decision was moot.

I know of Indigo Sparke from her Tiny Desk Concert a few years ago.  She is an Australian singer songwriter and I wrote

Sparke sings a little too slowly for my liking–the kind of stretched out vocals that make it hard for me to follow the thread of the song (or maybe that you need a few listens to fully appreciate).

At the tome of that Concert, she was in a relationship with Adrienne Lenker from Big Thief.  Not sure if she still is.

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Wednesday / All Dogs / Tenci (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, June 17, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer, Wednesday on June 17, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: June 17, 2023] Wednesday / All Dogs / Tenci

Wednesday were supposed to open for Beach Bunny at The Fillmore last year.  They bailed on the show and I was a little bummed because I had heard good things about them.  When they announced this headlining tour (at Union Transfer?  They’re big enough for there already?) I was intrigued.  I’d heard a song or two that I liked, but there was something that held me back.

I really like the fuzzy guitars and largely grunge sound, but there’s a kind of alt-country vibe that underpins their sound that I just can’t get past.  They have a lap steel guitar (which I either love or hate depending on how it’s used) and are often described as merging shoegaze and country.  So I didn’t feel compelled to go to this show after all.  And it was nice to have a Saturday night at home.

All Dogs is kind of a mini supergroup with Maryn Jones, from Saintseneca, drummer Jesse Wither, from the punk band Delay,bassist Amanda Bartley  from Swearin’, and guitarist Nick Harris, from Slaughter Beach, Dog.  That may explain why their first EP had som many reviews.  With details like

“pierced with a strong sense of yearning” [Pitchfork] “containing more perfect anxiousness and earnestness than some bands can get out in a whole album” [Stereogum] and it’s “awfully charming for something that’s eating itself alive from the inside.”[Consequence of Sound].

I listened to a couple of songs and rather liked them.  They had a good indie rock sound with fuzzy guitars and a pop bedrock.  Although they haven’t released any new music since 2015.

Tenci features Jess Shoman on vocals and guitar and are a indie folk band.  They have a bedroom quality and I don’t quite like their sound. They are a little too slow and yodelly for me.

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Black Midi (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, June 8, 2023)

Posted in Black Midi, Cold Court, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on June 10, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 8,  2023] Black Midi

So who the hell is Black Midi?  I’m not sure.  I wanted to see them because I’d heard their live show was great.  Although, I’m not sure where I heard that from.

I assumed NPR music, but they don’t really talk about Black Midi all that much.  So it must have been from elsewhere.

I watched a live video online and the show was insane–lots of slam dancing, lots of amazing musicianship.

The main trio is Geordie Greep – lead vocals, guitar; Cameron Picton – lead vocals, bass, guitar and Morgan Simpson – drums.  At our show there was a fourth member. and I’m not sure who he was.  He played bass the whole night and may have played piano for one song (although I couldn’t see him, but SOMEONE was playing).

Black Midi plays a kind of free jazz with a spoken lyric vocalist (Greep) who sounds like he’s an over-the-top crooner/stage actor from the 1950s.  Picton wore a button down shirt and tie and Greep was wearing business casual.

And they inspire some of the most intense mosh pits I’ve seen.

I don’t know how much (if any) of the music is improvised, but the scripted musical parts are intense and fast with incredible guitar playing that would fit right in with King Crimson.  Oh, and a very healthy splash of Primus.

The music is intense and so very specific, yet it is also quite a lot of fun.  The band apparently often plays ludicrous covers, but for this show it was all originals.  And that was fine. (more…)

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Cold Court (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, June 8, 2023) [BLACK MIDI]

Posted in Black Midi, Cold Court, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on June 9, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 8,  2023] Cold Court

Cold Court is from Philadelphia.

That’s about all I can find out about them.

They have an Instagram page but there’s not much on it.  And any searches reveal pretty much that they opened for Black Midi and very little else.

According to the video below (live at the Lawn Jawn), this is the lineup of the band about two weeks before the Black Midi show:

Mini Serrano (Guitar, Vocals), Josyah Lavina-Maldonado (Guitar, Vocals), Theo Shuttleworth (Bass), Jett Mann (Drums), Charlie Westlake (Saxophone, Synth), Alex Ramirez (Viola), and Joe Kuck (Percussion). (more…)

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AJJ / Oceanator / Gladie (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, June 9, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in AJJ, Andrew Jackson Jihad, Oceanator, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on June 9, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: June 9, 2023] AJJ / Oceanator / Gladie

AJJ were once called Andrew Jackson Jihad (that’s how I had always known them, although they changed it in 2016:

1.) We are not Muslims, and as such, it is disrespectful and irresponsible for us to use the word jihad in our band’s name. 2.) We no longer wish to be a living reminder of the president Andrew Jackson. Interesting historical figure as he was, he was an odious person and our fascination with him has grown stale.

And that’s all I knew about them.  I had no idea they were a folk/punk band, I assumed they were a heavy, harsh band.  And I could not have been more wrong.

They sound a bit (on this new album anyway) like The Weakerthans.  Literate, clever lyrics with simple instrumentation (in this case mostly on acoustic guitar).

But I had had tickets to see Pixies/Franz Ferdinand/Bully and I wasn’t passing that up for a band I didn’t really know.

Turns out they played 28 songs from throughout their career. It was probably a lot of fun.  Maybe even if you didn’t know their music ahead of time since the lyrics are so easy to understand.

Oceanator is Elise Okusami a Brooklyn-based guitarist.  I hadn’t heard of her and when I listened to some songs, I loved them. The songs are catchy and fun and sound great.  This would have been a really fun show.

I saw Gladie open for Otoboke Beaver late last year and really enjoyed their set a lot.  I would happily see them again, although this is the second time since that show that I’ve had to miss them.  They were supposed to open for Charly Bliss, but cancelled at the last minute.  I’m sure that with each show they just get better so when I finally get to see them again, they’ll be fantastic.

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Le Tigre (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 27, 2023)

Posted in Le Tigre, Philadelphia, PA, Shamir, Union Transfer on May 28, 2023| 1 Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 27, 2023] Le Tigre

Le Tigre’s song “Deceptacon” became a huge viral Tik Tok sensation last year.  I remembered the song from the 90s.  I was interested in Le Tigre because Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna was involved.

I liked it enough, but I found it so simplistic and repetitive that I didn’t really enjoy the album all that much.  I grabbed their second album, but didn’t follow through with them after that.  They put out one more album and then broke up.

Then they announced a reunion tour.  My daughter really wanted to see them.  The first date was at Union Transfer and then they were going to Europe.

I snagged two tickets as soon as I could and, amazingly, we would see Kathleen Hannah twice in two months.  (more…)

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Shamir (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 27, 2023) [LE TIGRE]

Posted in Le Tigre, Philadelphia, PA, Shamir, Union Transfer on May 27, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 27, 2023] Shamir

I was supposed to see Shamir on several different occasions, but it never happened.

So I was really quite pleased to see that they were announced as the opening act for this Le Tigre show.

Shamir is a Philly based singer songwriter.  When they first released “On My Own” I was so intrigued by the song.  Shamir’s voice soars to really high notes.  The song is very poppy, but with some great rocking guitars and full-on band.

Later Shamir released an album called Heterosexuality which explored personal issues with songs like “Gay Agenda” and “Cisgender.”

When Shamir came out, the crowd was immediately supportive.  When they asked who here is gay?  90% of the crowd waved their hands.  Which was good because the first song “Gay Agenda.”

Shamir’s band was great.  Rhea on drums and Grant on bass added a ton of accompaniment to Shamir’s relatively quite guitar playing.

The album has a lot more synthy sounds that fill in the songs.  Live, it was just the three of them with Grant’s basswork really shining.  And the songs rocked a lot harder with Rhea really smashing the drums.

I was pleased that they sang “On Mu Own” especially now that I see that Heterosexuality is their eighth album!  It sounded pretty different, a bit more gritty.  Shamir said it was an introverts anthem and when someone guessed that it was an asexual anthem, well, Shamir was fine with that.

They played the first single from the soon to be released album on Kill Rock Stars called “Oversized Sweater.”  I’m curious to hear what this new phase of Shamir’s career will bring.

On a few songs Shamir’s voice dipped into a low growl which was especially effective on “Other Side” –the “metal portion of the show.”

As the set neared the end, Shamir busted out an amazing version of “Cisgender.”  It was full of so much rawness–much more powerful than the recorded version.

And the set ended with “Our Song” (not the Taylor Swift song).  It’s about a couple who lives above a record store (based on a show he saw in England).  It was a great ending.

Shamir’s voice is pretty incredible and they can hold a note like few singers I know.

  1. Gay Agenda ⊕
  2. Reproductive ⊕
  3. On My Own §
  4. Oversized Sweater £ (first time played)
  5. Other Side §
  6. Appetizer
  7. TEARS
  8. Cisgender ⊕
  9. Our Song £

£ New album (2023)
⊕ Heterosexuality (2022)
§ Shamir

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Nekrogoblikon / Inferi / Aether Realm / Hunt the Dinosaur (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 24, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND, but my son did]

Posted in Aether Realm, Hunt the Dinosaur, Inferi, Nekrogoblikon, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on May 24, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 24, 2023] Nekrogoblikon / Inferi / Aether Realm / Hunt the Dinosaur

I don’t know a ton about Nekrogoblikon, but I do know enough to know that they would be super fun to see live.  I mean, they have a goblin in the band, after all.

When this show was announced, I asked my son if he wanted to go.  He surprised me by saying that his friend Ty had already gotten tickets for the both of them.  And they wanted to drive to Union Transfer with no adult supervision.  [Even after the stupidly late night in NYC].

Well, we had been a few times recently and I showed him how to get there and the best place to park and when the night came up, he did great and got the free parking and arrived with enough time to buy merch and still be fairly close to the stage.

Suffice to say that if I didn’t really know the headliners, I sure did know the support bands.  Ty was a fan of the headliners and Aether Realm, but didn’t know the other two bands.

So after the show I asked for their reviews.

Neither of them liked Hunt the Dinosaur, a Dallas based “Progressive Deathcore” band.  Although the clips I’ve just listened to sound like heavy low end with occasional squeals of guitar and a lot of growled inaudible vocals.  It could get old fast, even after a 20 minute set.

Æther Realm is an American heavy metal band from Greenville, North Carolina. Their music is a blend of melodic death metal and folk metal, with lyrical themes of fantasy and mythology.  I can see how this band would be more palatable to them (and to me).  I like the melodic components and I enjoy the weird folk metal genre.  The vocals are still pretty growly, which is not my cup of tea, but it seems like the words are actually audible.

Neither of them much likes Inferi a technical melodic death metal band from Nashville. I always think I’d like this genre.  As I like technical and melodic, bit the death metal component usually doesn’t do it for me.  So these songs have long, pretty guitar parts and super fast but strangely muted double bass drums and then after a lengthy intro when the singer comes in, the vocals are growled and inaudible, which seems kind of pointless to me, but whatever.

They both enjoyed Nekrogoblikon who are also a growly band (but a goblin kind of growling).  And I enjoyed looking at the pictures and videos.

It sounded like a pretty good night.

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Indigo De Souza / Sluice (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 23, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Indigo De Souza, Philadelphia, PA, Sluice, Union Transfer on May 23, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 23, 2023] Indigo De Souza / Sluice

Here was the fourth time that this show was scheduled.

And by now, Indigo de Souza has become even more popular.  So much so that this show is sold out.

Unfortunately, the timing of this show didn’t work out for me.

I had been planning to go but then a show with Pup, Beach Bunny and Pool Kids was scheduled for the same night.  So I grabbed tickets for me and my kids and we headed for New York City.

I wrote this blurb about a year ago (when the first show was postponed):

Indigo De Souza is a new (to me) musician who I heard about on NPR music.  Her song “Kill Me” is outstanding.  A great dynamic of sounds, very funny lyrics and memorable hooks.  I loved it immediately.  She announced a tour soon after I’d heard it and I grabbed a ticket to see her headline tour (!).

She’s been making music since she was like 9 with a few EPs and a previous album.  I imagine she’ll be a fun and wild performer.

Sluice is folk music from North Carolina singer-songwriter Justin Morris.  Pitchfork notes that the songs are “without a hook or central focus” which I agree with, although they gave his album 7 out of 10.

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