Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Union Transfer’ Category

Sidney Gish (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, March 3, 2023) [THE BETHS]

Posted in Hans Pucket, Philadelphia, PA, Sidney Gish, The Beths, Union Transfer on March 3, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: March 3, 2023] Sidney Gish

As soon as The Beths announced they were playing Union Transfer, I bought myself a ticket.  And then a little while later I bought S. one because I thought she would really enjoy a night out for rocking good natured fun.

I didn’t know the opening bands.  There were originally two: Hans Pucket dropped out of the tour.  The Beths posted the rather cryptic

Sad news is that @hanspucket unfortunately won’t be joining us this time, we’re gutted about that. But we promise to drag them over another time. So it’ll just be us and the genius Sidney Gish.

I’ve been listening to the Hans Pucket album and it’s really good.  Hope they make it over here some time.

Sidney Gish is a singer I’d never heard of, although clearly everyone else in the room had.

She has released two albums (the second one in 2017) and now is about to release a third.  What’s she been doing for the last few years?  Graduating from Northeastern apparently.

Anyway, it seems that her first two albums were viral sensations (especially her second album No Dogs Allowed).  Because everyone was singing along to all of the songs (except the new one). (more…)

Read Full Post »

Dry Cleaning / The Spirit of the Beehive / Nourished By Time (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, February 1, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Dry Cleaning, Nourished By Time, Philadelphia, PA, The Spirit of the Beehive, Union Transfer on February 1, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: November 5, 2022] Dry Cleaning / The Spirit of the Beehive / Nourished By Time

Dry Cleaning are a kind of trendy British band.  They are of the spoken deadpan vocal/wild guitar noise variety.  I don’t love them, but I think their music is really interesting.  I thought they’d be fun to see live once.

But we had a family emergency and it wasn’t time to go to a show.  So, I didn’t really mind missing this one. (more…)

Read Full Post »

They Might Be Giants: 30th Anniversary Flood Show (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, January 12, 2023)–[at last!]

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Tár, They Might Be Giants, Union Transfer, Whiplash on January 12, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: January 12, 2023] They Might Be Giants [rescheduled from March 13, 2020, September 8, 2020, April 15, 2021, March 22, 2022 and June 16, 2022]

After five failed attempts, They Might Be Giants FINALLY got to play Union Transfer.

It was only mildly anti-climactic that they played Union Transfer the night before with a show that was billed as an entirely different show but which, when setlists were compared, turned out to be almost exactly the same.

January 11 (left): note the similarly-named show title which implied something different.  From the venue:

We assume that means songs from their latest album, ‘Book’ and some ‘Flood’ “faves”, and a bunch of horns on stage. How many horns? We can’t say for sure…Maybe 5, maybe 100!?

It felt a little cheaty that this day-ahead show got the same (more or less) show as us.  But hey, who cares, at least we didn’t splurge for the second day.  Because I’d have been a little cheesed to get the same show two nights in a row, no matter how good it was.  And it was really good!

So I saw They Might Be Giants about twenty-five years ago in Boston.  I don’t remember a lot from the show, but it was the Factory Showroom tour and they played a lot of my favorite songs as well.

I haven’t seen them live since then, even though I know they put on a good show.  I’m not sure why it neve happened.  Possibly because when I try to see them a pandemic occurs.

We arrived a little later than intended, had to stand on a huge line (there was no opening act), although everyone at a TMBG show is friendly, and then wound up on the side lower balcony in Union Transfer–where I’ve never stood before.  It was actually kind of nice-we were above most of the heads and still felt a part of the mass of people.

The band also was giving out “paper crowns” that said THEY on them.  John F:  “Be sure to grab one so you can sell it later.”

The Johns came out at 8 as promised and jumped right into “Letterbox” from Flood.  But it’s not the first song from Flood.  So clearly, they weren’t going to play the album in order.  They never said they were going to, just that they were going to play the whole album.  Aha! (more…)

Read Full Post »

Lemonheads (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, December 14, 2022)

Posted in Juliana Hatfield, Lemonheads, On Being an Angel, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on December 16, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: December 14, 2022] Lemonheads

Back in 2018, I saw Evan Dando play a solo set in Jersey City.  It was him with an acoustic guitar and he played over forty songs.

It was a shambolic affair, but fun.  I didn’t really feel compelled to see him again, but I thought it would be fun to see him with a band.  And when he announced this 30th Anniversary of It’s a Shame About Ray, my favorite album of theirs, I grabbed a ticket.

Juliana Hatfield finished and didn’t really need to clear her gear (as we’ll see).  And yet for some reason, it took Evan and the other two guys almost 45 minutes to come out on stage.  

This wasn’t an auspicious sign.  I was actually 40% surprised the show hadn’t been cancelled outright.  But it sounds like Evan Dando has gotten his shit (somewhat) together, so maybe this is a new lease on life for him.  

Eventually the band came out on stage.  Bassist Farley Glavin and drummer Lee Falco came out first.  Then Evan came out on stage, grabbed an acoustic guitar and they launched right into “Into Your Arms.”  This is one of my favorite songs of the 90s–so sweet and delightful.  I had literally no idea that it was a cover until I was reading someone else’s review of this tour (it was written by Australian duo Love Positions (Robyn St. Clare (who wrote the song) and Nic Dalton).  It sounded like he hadn’t really warmed up yet and this was his way of easing into the show.  He didn’t hit any of the higher notes.  But he still wounded quite good. (more…)

Read Full Post »

Juliana Hatfield (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, December 14, 2022) [LEMONHEADS]

Posted in Juliana Hatfield, Lemonheads, On Being an Angel, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on December 15, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: December 14, 2022] Juliana Hatfield

I was a big fan of Juliana Hatfield back in the 90s.  I thought she was the bomb.  And I was really excited to see her play live when she opened for the B-52s at Boston College back in 1993.  I actually hated the B-52s (they were so overplayed at my college in 1991 that I never wanted to hear “Love Shack” again in my life) so I left before they came on.

And then, some time around 2000 I lost track of her.  I was always happy to hear she was putting out new music, but I didn’t give it much of a listen.  However, her 2018 album that is all covers of Olivia Newton John songs is pretty sweet.

She had toured Philly back in 2015 and I considered going because it was the Juliana Hatfield Three playing again (I should have gone!).  She also played in 2019, but I wasn’t quite as sure about that one for some reason.  But here she was opening for The Lemonheads!

A few minutes after On Being an Angel cleared their stuff, Juliana came out.  It was just her and her guitar plugged into a tiny amp.  The volume was perfect  She sounded great as she started singing a song I knew immediately.. (more…)

Read Full Post »

On Being an Angel (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, December 14, 2022) [THE LEMONHEADS]

Posted in Juliana Hatfield, Lemonheads, On Being an Angel, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on December 14, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: December 14, 2022] On Being an Angel

On Being an Angel are a four-piece from Austin.  Given that they were opening for Lemonheads and Juliana Hatfield, I was expecting a sound that fit in with them.

They were actually a bit heavier and a bit more fuzzy than I would have expected.  And I loved their sound instantly. 

And then singer Paige stepped up to the mic and…we couldn’t hear her at all.  Was it Union Transfer’s fault?  That seemed unlikely.  We were very close to the stage and that can certainly impact how you hear a band, but it seemed like the lead guitar (from Nick) was just cranked up super loud and drowned out everything else.

The guy next to me even typed out on his phone (fix the vocal levels) but no one reacted to that.

Then I saw this comment in a 2019 review of them in Austin: “[On Being an Angel] tore apart the crowd’s broken chatter with a roaring wall of sound. Rumbling electric fuzz nearly drowned out Paige Applin’s faint vocals as the slowcore quartet played.”  The rest of the band sounded great–a big grungy sound that I was really excited to hear on record, too.

But when I listened to the (first) record, the sound was really different–far more mellow, far less noise.  The opener, “Eyes Shut” has a fantastic 90s alt rock sound with a catchy lead guitar riff.  But on record, it’s a quiet folk song with no riff at all.

The newer record (on being a tape vol. 2) has a much heavier sound.–much more satisfying.  Paige’s vocals are also forward in the mix.  (more…)

Read Full Post »

Ty Segall / Charles Moothouse (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, November 24, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Charles Moothouse, Philadelphia, PA, Ty Segall, Ty Segall and the Freedom Band, Union Transfer on November 24, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: November 24, 2022] Ty Segall / Charles Moothouse

I have become a fan of Ty Segall in the last few years.  He releases far too much music to keep tabs on him, but I’ve wanted to see his fuzzed out live show for a while now.

He has been in Philly three times this year.  Once with his band Fuzz.  Next with the Freedom Band and now as an acoustic solo artist.

I was trying to slow my shows down a bit by the end of this year (I had seen so many!).  Plus, when I finally do get to see Ty Segall, I want it to be with a big noisy fuzzy band, not as an acoustic performer.

So, I opted to give this one a miss.  Wonder if I’ll regret it someday.

Charles Moothouse was an unfamiliar name to me, but that’s because I’ve never read Ty Segall’s liner notes.  Wikipedia tells me

Charles Frances Moothart is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter. … Moothart is the drummer for Ty Segall’s current backing band, The Freedom Band. He was previously the guitarist for Segall’s backing band, the Ty Segall Band, and is the guitarist and vocalist in the pair’s hard rock project, Fuzz. Additionally, he is a member of Segall’s collaborative project with Ex-Cult’s Chris Shaw, GØGGS.

So, yea I guess they were a good match.

Read Full Post »

Travis / Ben Ottewell (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, November 7, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Ben Ottewell, Gomez, Philadelphia, PA, Travis, Union Transfer on November 7, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: November 7, 2022] Travis / Ben Ottewell

When Travis first came out with their second album The Man Who, I thought they were going to be the next big thing.  I loved how the opening song, “Waiting to Reach You” was snarky at Oasis: “Radio is playing all the usual and what’s a wonderwall anyway?”  And “Why Does It Always Rain on Me?” seemed poised for epicness.

And then an upstart Travis copycat band called Coldplay put out Parachutes, with “Yellow,” and I thought, “well, they’re good, but they’re no Travis.”

The Invisible Band seemed to solidify their status with the super catchy “Sing.”  And then no one ever hear from them again.  That’s not true, but I certainly never did.  They’ve put out six albums with, apparently, no U.S. airplay.

When they announced this tour, playing The Invisible Band in full, plus other hits, I did consider going.  I considered going up to and until this day, when I ultimately decided I didn’t need to see them.

Ben Ottewell is one of the three singer from Gomez.  

I liked the first Gomez album, but I didn’t listen to much beyond it.  I’m not sure I realized they had three singers.  I’m assuming that Ottewell is the singer I associate with them most (his voice is gravelly and rough).  His solo work is even more mellow and acoustic, so this would have probably been a fine, if interesting set.

For some reason, I kept thinking that he was opening for House of Love.  But I was wrong, obviously.

Read Full Post »

Superorganism / Blood Cultures (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, November 5, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Blood Cultures, Hugh Augustine, Philadelphia, PA, Superorganism, Union Transfer on November 5, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: November 5, 2022] Superorganism/Blood Culture

I had seen Superorganism four years ago.  They were buzzing around with a couple of left field hits and at the time I thought they could be the next big thing or an internet meme.  Well, they drifted away.  But came back somewhat surprisingly at the end of last year.

Although I hadn’t heard they even released an album when this show was announced.

I’d had a good time at the last show so I grabbed a ticket.  Evidently the show did not sell well as Union Transfer sent out this:

You are invited to bring a friend for FREE! No catches or hidden fees etc. Just roll up to the show with your ticket(s) and let the door people and ticket scanners know you are bringing your friend as a free plus one / guest. They’ll hand over a complimentary ticket for your friend to use on the spot and that’s it. Free show!

It had been a long week and the kids were both going to a homecoming dance, so we decided to stay home (even though I would have brought her for free).

The opening band Blood Cultures has a fascinating gimmick

Blood Cultures is an experimental indie pop group from New Jersey. First known as a single person and now recognized as a collective (a quartet as of 2019), the band’s members remain anonymous, their faces obscured by black hoods in all photos. As they have explained, their anonymity is crucial to their ethos and aims “to keep the relationship between the listener and the music as pure as possible”. Hailed as some of the most exciting music coming out of New York by NME in 2018, Blood Cultures’ genre-bending sound is often characterized as psychedelic pop, electropop, and chillwave. Blood Cultures released their first album, Happy Birthday, in 2017. The band released its second album, Oh Uncertainty! A Universe Despairs, in September 2019. Their third record, LUNO, was released on May 28, 2021.

They sound pretty interesting and I would have definitely enjoyed checking them out.  I’m also really surprised I hadn’t heard of them before.

Read Full Post »

Beabadoobee / Lowertown (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 29, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Beabadoobee, lowertown, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on October 29, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 29. 2022] Beabadoobee / Lowertown

I saw Beabadoobee almost exactly one year ago.  I enjoyed the show and even concluded the show was pretty amazing (it was only her second show in America).

But I didn’t feel the need to see her again.  I actually had tickets to see Chris Forsyth that night anyhow.

Although I suspect that this show was only better than the last and maybe if she comes back I’ll go again.  It turns out that my daughter and her friend found out that I blew this show off and they were both very annoyed with me because they both want to see her.  Oops.

I saw Lowertown open for Wet Leg.  I missed some of their set, but enjoyed what I heard.

They are from Atlanta and this was their first tour.  They have an album and an EP out on bandcamp.  They say of themselves:

Hi We’re Lowertown! This is the band of Olivia O. (Olivia Osby) and Avsha the Awesome (Avshalom Weinberg). 🙂

! our music is a blend electronic and lo-fi instrumentation with meaningful lyricism and melancholy, narrative lyrics. Our music has been said to be indie with aspects of folk and electronica.

I enjoyed their set–Olivia had a Courtney Love thing going on–she slammed into Avsha a few times while he was playing.  There was certainly a punky element and they got our heads moving along.

 

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »