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Archive for the ‘Union Transfer’ Category

The Beta Band (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 30, 2025)

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, The Beta Band, Union Transfer on October 30, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: December 6, 2025] The Beta Band

When The Beta Band’s 3 EPs came out, I was totally on board.  It was weird–electronic but folky, tape manipulation and craziness but also catchy melodies. And then it got a huge boost on the movie High Fidelity and I felt strangely vindicated.  I bought their second album too.

And then I pretty much forgot about them.  They put out another album in 2004 but I didn’t get it and then they broke up.

When this tour was announced–20 years(ish) since they broke up and 23 years since they played Philadelphia, I immediately grabbed a ticket, assuming it would sell out in a second.

When the date rolled around, I wasn’t entirely sure I still wanted to go.  I mean, how much did I really like that album?  But since there was no opening act and it promised to be a fun show, I went.  And I’m really glad I did.

When I arrived there was a hooded and face-covered DJ playing songs.  I don’t know who he was–maybe he was in the band?  And around 15 or 20 minutes later, the show opened with a short film they made (presumably a long time ago or maybe it was a recent film using old footage) and it was hilarious.  Very Terry Gilliam in its cheap-lookingness and absurdity but a really fun look at the guys doing silly things twenty some years ago.

And then the band came out.  The four original Betas were present and were wearing color coded jumpsuits: Robin Jones (yellow; drums), John Maclean (pink; keys), Richard Greentree (green I think; bass), Steve Mason (gray, I think; vocals and guitar).  Of course, unexpectedly to me, they switched instruments a bunch.  There was even a secondary drumset for Steve to play which said Jack’s Away on the drum head.  They were immediately fun and kind of silly but very serious about the music.  And they immediately did not play The Three EPs in order. (more…)

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Autechre (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 26, 2025)

Posted in Autechre, Mark Broom, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer, William Fields on October 28, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 26, 2025] Autechre

I have one Autechre album and I don’t really listen to it.  But when they announced this American tour (their first time playing here in ten years), I asked my friend Lar, who had seen them if I should go.  He told me an amusing story about how he liked the show but he took his significant other to the show and she almost broke up with him because of it.

But when I dove a little more deeply into the show it sounded like a unique experience that I’d like to try.

I arrived at the show knowing that this would be the case, but I loved seeing this in print on a flyer at the door:

autechre

will  perform in darkness.

For their set all lights in the venue will be off.

Please plan on being in one place for the performance and do not move unnecessarily until it has finished when the lights will come back on again.

Please do not shine any lights at the stage or ar0und the room during the performance unless you require assistance.

…

If you are uncomforatble with the idea of spending around 80 minutes in the dark while Autechre play, please see venue staff before the performance starts.

Autechre are an English electronic music duo consisting of Sean Booth and Rob Brown, formed in 1987.  After the two openers did their set, the lights dimmed, with only red lights on the stage.  Some ambient music played for, frankly, longer than was necessary.  It was so long, that the music stopped and they had to start it again. (more…)

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Mark Broom (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 26, 2025) [AUTECHRE]

Posted in Autechre, Mark Broom, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer, William Fields on October 27, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 26, 2025] Mark Broom

I have one Autechre album and I don’t really listen to it.  But when they announced this American tour (their first time playing here in ten years), I asked my friend Lar, who had seen them if I should go.  He told me an amusing story about how he liked the show but he took his significant other to the show and she almost broke up with him because of it.

But when I dove a little more deeply into the show it sounded like a unique experience that I’d like to try.

The opening act for the tour was Mark Broom. We also ha William Fields.  Fields was on the left side of the stage with his laptop and when he was done (after 30 minutes), Mark Broom who was on the right side of the stage with a laptop, started immediately (I appreciated the lack of pause).

I assumed that it would be more of the same because Autechre are also glitchy and noisy, but Broom had a different vibe.  His music was a bit more musical and a bit more dancey.  In the most basic way, it was more “enjoyable.”

I have no idea what he was doing up there (the lighting was very dim).  He had a laptop I know but he had some other gear too.  I could see him twisting knobs from time to time.  So I don’t know if he was making up the sounds on the fly or if they were existing songs that he was mixing around with.  As I said, it’s not my genre, but I found myself really getting into his stuff.

Broom has been DJing (and producing others) for a long time.  He is a veteran of the techno scene and evidently specializes in hardgroove with heavy percussion and tribal beats.

I assumed that he would get a 45 minute set, but he actually played for an hour.  Since I was planning to kick back and enjoy the night, I didn’t have a problem with him playing for an hour.  I felt like he mixed the tempos up and added interesting sounds and beats to make the hour pretty enjoyable.

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William Fields (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 26, 2025) [AUTECHRE]

Posted in Autechre, Mark Broom, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer, William Fields on October 26, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 26, 2025] William Fields

I have one Autechre album and I don’t really listen to it.  But when they announced this American tour (their first time playing here in ten years), I asked my friend Lar, who had seen them if I should go.  He told me an amusing story about how he liked the show but he took his significant other to the show and she almost broke up with him because of it.

But when I dove a little more deeply into the show it sounded like a unique experience that I’d like to try.

There was an opening act listed, but we had two opening acts.  William Fields is a Philadelphia based DJ whose bio says

William Fields is an artist and musician from the Phildelphia area whose work explores the intersection of generative processes, improvisation, and audio-visual correspondence.

What does that mean?  Beats me.  But here’s some reviews

“Some of the most mind-blowing algorithmically generated music I’d ever heard”  — Richard Devine

“William Fields is at the absolute front of algorithmic music and this tremendous 24 hour collection is some of the wildest stuff out there… TOP NOTCH” — Telefon Tel Aviv

That still doesn’t quite explain it but this kind of does (more…)

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Indigo de Souza / Mothé (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 23, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Indigo De Souza, Mothé, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on October 23, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 23, 2025] Indigo de Souza / Mothé

I saw Indigo de Souza last year.   She was a lot more mellow than her promo photos suggest (I mean not this one, but previous ones made her seem pretty wild).

But she had a great voice and I enjoyed her (relatively) short set.

I didn’t feel the need to see her again and haven’t heard any of her new stuff (I really enjoyed her early stuff a lot).

Mothé is the musical project from songwriter, musician, and producer Spencer Fort.  The song I listened to had fun sounds and got bigger and more fun as it went along.  There’s rocking elements and catchy parts too.

I’d be happy to see them open for someone one of these days.

 

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Jeff Tweedy / Sima Cunningham (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 20, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Finom, Jeff Tweedy, OHMME, Philadelphia, PA, Sima Cunningham, Union Transfer, Wilco on October 20, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 20, 2025] Jeff Tweedy / Sima Cunningham

I’ve seen Wilco twice and they are an amazing live band.  I would see them as often as I could.  I even bought a ticket for a show on Easter Sunday all the while realizing that I wasn’t going to go to a show on Easter Sunday.

I saw Jeff Tweedy solo in Princeton and he was great solo as well.  I would 100% have gone to this show, which I think was with a band.  But this day is the birthday of someone special, so I didn’t investigate this show any further so as not to feel like I should try to go.

Sima Cunningham is one half of the duo Ohmme who changed their name to Finom (which I like less).  Ohmme opened for Jeff when I saw him and they were great I bought their CD on the spot.  I didn’t know she put out a solo album.  It’s interesting.  It’s mostly her and an acoustic guitar but the songs start to meander and add more and more sounds.  I’m curious how she would have done this stuff live.

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Grandaddy: 25th Anniversary of The Sophtware Slump / Pedro the Lion / Greg Freeman (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 18, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Grandaddy, Greg Freeman, Pedro the Lion, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on October 18, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 18, 2025] Grandaddy: 25th Anniversary of The Sophtware Slump / Pedro the Lion / Greg Freeman

When The Sophtware Slump came out, I loved the album.  Listened to it all the time and put it in the same boat as the Mercury Rev albums I loved–kind of weird but sweet with high pitched vocals.  When this show was announced I was really excited about it.  And then I cooled on the idea.  I’m not really sur why.  I listened to a few songs off of Sophtware and I wasn’t quite as excited about the show.  I had tickets to see The Beta Band also doing an anniversary show and I guess that felt like enough nostalgia for me.

The show was this album and a few other songs.  I’m not even sure if I know many other songs by them, so I guess I made the right choice.

Pedro the Lion was one of the many bands that came out around the same time who had a name like ___ The ____.  It was hard to keep track of them all.  Pedro the Lion sounds a pit like Pavement.  David Bazan formed the band in 1995 and represented its main creative force, backed by a varying rotation of collaborating musicians.  Bazan went “solo” in the early 2000s, releasing music under his own name.  And then in the late 2010s he decided to release music as Pedro again.  They’re a band I’m on the fence about as I don’t always like his voice, but I’ll bet they are fun live.

Greg Freeman is a quirky musician from Vermont.  He reminds me a bit of MJ Lenderman in that he’s borderline country, but not really and he sings in a slightly unconventional way.  Having said that, they don’t sound anything alike–it’s more about the vibe they give off.  He’s got a nice slacker vibe.

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The Oh Hellos / Rabbitology (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 15, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Rabbitology, The Oh Hellos, Union Transfer on October 15, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 15, 2025] The Oh Hellos / Rabbitology

Back in 2016, I was introduced to The Oh Hellos through a Tiny Desk concert.  And I put them on my bands to see list.

The Oh Hellos are technically a duo of Tyler and Maggie Heath.  But live (and here) they play chamber pop with nine members in the band.  They have an accordion, a violin, a banjo, guitars and great harmonies.

But in the last nine years I hadn’t heard anything about them and more or less forgot about them–they have been putting out albums, but I never heard about them.  When this show was announced I was kind of surprised that it was at Union Transfer, as I didn’t know if they even had a following.  I guess they do.

I was vaguely interested but not enough to get tickets.  Plus I had a ticket to see Margaret Glaspy that night, so Margaret won.

Rabbitology is the world created by the odd-running mind of Michigan-based alternative-folk singer/songwriter Nat Timmerman.  She sings a very earthy, somewhat unsettling style of music.  It reminds me a bit of Paris Paloma–but with a different vocal style.  I really like the songs I’ve heard.  I’ll bet she’s a really compelling live performer.  Maybe she’ll come back around.

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Deltron 3030 (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 3, 2025)

Posted in Dan the Automator, Del the Funky Homosapien, Deltron 3030, Distorter, Gorillaz, Kid Koala, Lealani, Lord Sko, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on October 5, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 3, 2025] Deltron 3030

I really enjoyed the Deltron 3030 album. Del the Funky Homosapien is one of my favorite rappers.  Dan the Automator is an amazing producer and Kid Koala is the king of the turntables.  Their futuristic band set in 3030 was a great combination of the three of them.

When this tour was announced–the 25th anniversary of their debut album–I grabbed tickets immediately.  I brought my son with me (he was not born when the album came out) because I thought he’d really like the show.  And he did!

After Kid Koala’s set, the trio emerged.  Dan the Automator stood behind a massive bank of sound equipment, Kid Koala took his place behind his turntables and Del (Deltron 0) walked out and stood in the middle of the other two.

And then came the opening announcement from the album–and we were all thrilled.

Then Del started rapping 3030 and it was real. There were visuals on the screen behind them–perhaps videos from 25 years ago–or maybe new for the show.  They often had lyrics on the visuals and occasionally, they showed the cameras facing Kid Koala’s turntables. (more…)

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Kid Koala x Lealani (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 3, 2025) [DELTRON 3030]

Posted in Dan the Automator, Del the Funky Homosapien, Deltron 3030, Distorter, Kid Koala, Lealani, Lord Sko, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on October 4, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 3, 2025] Kid Koala x Lealani

I’ve been a fan of Kid Koala for a really long time.  His turntable skills are incredible.  I was able to see him once (I can’t believe it was 7 and a half years ago).  I’ve been wanting to catch him again ever since.  And here he was, playing with Deltron and doing his own set.  I didn’t know what the X Lealani meant, but we would soon find out.

Kid Koala came out and moved over to his three turntables.  And as he started playing some records, he said, I’m Kid Koala and I’m here to play records incorrectly.  And then his cameras turned on.  He had cameras mounted above the turntables so you could watch his hands as he scratched and spun his vinyl.

His set was so much fun and having the cameras on meant you could see that he had taped marks and other notifications on his vinyl that helped him keep track of where to put the needle.  Watching him spin the vinyl backwards to get it to exactly where he wanted it was amazing.  He didn’t play any of his own songs, he played samples and snippets of songs and had everybody bopping along.

After a few minutes, he brought Lealani out (I think she was eating dinner with him at La Chinesca–my son and I ate at La Chinesca.  And, lo and behold Kid Koala was sitting there two tables away.  I was going to say hi, but with the cane I am not subtle or fast.  So I assumed he would walk past us and I’d say hi then; but he went out a different way.  Waah wahh.)  Lealani is from Pomona California and Kid Koala introduced her as an incredible electronic musician.  She had one of those light up boxes that makes sound.  I don’t know what they’re called.  There was a camera on her as well and her hands were incredible.  She played elaborate beats and melodies on this box and the whole room was blown away.

Lealani left and Kid Koala played some more.  And then Lealani came back out with a guitar. She sang a kicking punk song while Kid Koala played some drums.  And then Kid Koala told us that he and Lealani had started a new band together and that they would be touring early next year.  This band is called Distorter and I’ll be there when they come to town.

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