Posted in Philadelphia, PA, They Might Be Giants, Union Transfer on December 5, 2024| Leave a Comment »
[DID NOT ATTEND: December 5 & 6, 2024] They Might Be Giants
Las year, after five failed attempts, They Might Be Giants FINALLY got to play Union Transfer.
My wife and I were pretty excited to finally get to see them and we enjoyed the show a lot.
When they announced that they were playing Union Transfer again I think we both decided that we didn;t need to see them again so soon. (more…)
Posted in Alan Sparhawk, Godspeed You Black Emperor, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on November 24, 2024| Leave a Comment »
[DID NOT ATTEND: April 22 & 23, 2022] Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Back in 2000, I saw Godspeed You Black Emperor at Maxwell’s in Hoboken. My friend Lar was in from Ireland and he went to the show with me, which was pretty awesome.
I waited 18 years to see them again, but the last time I saw them, the show was marred by the crowd.
I’ve thought about seeing them again, but this show popped up on a weekend that was really inconvenient. And then suddenly it was postponed
Godspeed’s Fall 2024 US tour has been postponed due to illness. Information regarding rescheduled dates will be forthcoming.
Perhaps if the 2025 date works out for me, I’ll be able to see them again.
Alan Sparhawk of Low was supposed to open. I’ve never been much of a fan of Low, because their music is just too slow for me. Although their last album was really quite interesting. I’m not sure what his solo show would include as he plays all kinds of music. Maybe he’ll be opening next year too.
Posted in Animals as Leaders, Philadelphia, PA, Plini, Union Transfer on November 18, 2024| Leave a Comment »
[ATTENDED: November 18, 2024] Plini
Plini is Plini Roessler-Holgate, an Australian guitarist who has been recognized by all of the famous guitar gods [for instance: Steve Vai described him as “the future of exceptional guitar playing.”]
I wondered if he would play solo, but no, he had a four-piece band. Jake Howsam Lowe played guitar with him. And Jake was amazing as well. He had some moments of speed and impressive dexterity–and I was glad that he was given his own spotlight in a song at the end.
I was really impressed by bassist Simon Grove. He played a six string bass and at times played the same fast riffs as both guitarists. He also had a few soloing moments and I loved seeing him play.
Finally, Chris Allison on drums was terrific. And he inadvertently had one of the best moments of the night for me. Someone in the audience held up a sign that said Mr Allison will you trade drum sticks with me And Allison was totally game. The fan passed their sticks through the audience (he or she was pretty far back and the sticks were crowd surfed) and Plini asked if the fan wanted the ones Allison had just played with or new ones. And then said, oh give them both. Then Plini asked how honest the Philly crowd was as they crowd surfed the sticks to the fan. It was great.
Plini then said that instead of playing music for 30 minutes, they would just do a trade and swap for the next 30 minutes.
But indeed, they did play. (more…)
Posted in Chokecherry, Destroy Boys, Jigsaw Youth, Philadelphia, PA, Sasami, Union Transfer on November 17, 2024| Leave a Comment »
[ATTENDED: November 15, 2024] Destroy Boys
My son is a fan of Destroy Boys and when he was playing them, I was getting into them and agreed that they’d be fun to see live. We saw them open for Pierce the Veil in Reading and really enjoyed the show. Although, as I said then,
For some godawful reason, the venue decided to bathe the band in purple, which rendered them almost entirely invisible from where we were seated. It definitely made us all want to see see them (actually see them) in a small club when they come around next time.
So it was great to see them up close at Union Transfer. It was really entertaining seeing singer Alexia Roditis wearing a long leather coat and chaps (and black underwear). She is an intense frontperson–powerful and in total control of the room, and I love that she proved how in control she was by basically wearing her underwear on stage.
Guitarist Violet Mayugba was on our side of the stage and she was an intense force of sound and attitude. Bassist David Orozco was on the far side and seemed somewhat out of place in fairly normal clothes while the women in the band were wearing leather. Drummer Narsai Malik was great behind the kit.
For this tour they had a fifth member, Nastacha Beck (aka Miss Distortion) from Jigsaw Youth on rhythm guitar. [Back in 2022, I could have seen Destroy Boys (as a trio), Jigsaw Youth and Pinkshift in ne show but I had other plans…bummer!].
The show was full of energy right from the start with a ripping (and catchy) Shadow (I’m Breaking Down). They didn’t only play new songs, jumping immediately back to Crybaby from 2018. And Drink (an incredibly catchy song) dates back to 2021.
But this show was touring the new album so of course there were lots of new songs (which everyone there knew). Like Plucked, a far more complex song musically than say K Street Walker from their debut (which makes up in fierceness what it lacks in complexity). (more…)
Posted in Chokecherry, Destroy Boys, Philadelphia, PA, Sasami, Union Transfer on November 16, 2024| Leave a Comment »
[ATTENDED: November 15, 2024] Sasami
When this tour was announced, I thought it would be perfect for myself and my kids. My daughter loved seeing Crawlers, the original opening act, my son loves Destroy Boys and in addition to liking both bands, I had wanted to see Sasami for quite a while.
I had heard that Sasami’s shows for her album Squeeze were insane–intense rocking shows in which Sasami didn’t hold back in trying to create “maximum chaos per capita.”
That tour had a full band and they rocked hard.
So I was disappointed that this set from Sasami was all over the place. It was just her and her Colombian drummer Juan Diego Patiño (who was pretty great). And she played songs from all over her career.
And honestly there was nothing bad about her set, it was just totally not was I was expecting. (more…)
Posted in Chokecherry, Destroy Boys, Philadelphia, PA, Sasami, Union Transfer on November 15, 2024| Leave a Comment »
[ATTENDED: November 15, 2024] Chokecherry
When this tour was announced, I thought it would be perfect for myself and my kids. My daughter loved seeing Crawlers, the original opening act, my son loves Destroy Boys and in addition to liking both bands, I had wanted to see Sasami for quite a while.
But then Crawlers dropped off the tour (I’m not sure why) and they were replaced by Chokecherry who I hadn’t heard of. I listened to a song or two and liked them. So I was pleased to arrive early enough to see them.
I’m not really sure what the details are of this band, but I’m guessing that the two women who were up front, Guitarist Izzie A. Clark and bassist E. Scarlett Levinson are the fixtures of the band. Other articles list two different members in the band. but for this show, Jack Lillian played second guitar and Sean Aaron was on drums.
Izzie, Scarlett and Jack were dressed in provocative outfits–undergarments and corsets and they played up this flirtatiousness. But their music totally rocked and their look proved to be an accent to their songs. I couldn’t really see Sean who was behind the drums, so I’m not sure if he was wearing only boxers or what.
They opened with Lisa 1 and 2. It starts with Izzie and Scarlett, quietly singing Lisa, I miss you, Lisa I’m sorry. And then the song takes off. But it’s in pat 2 that he real blistering punk comes out. Two minutes of intensity.
Scarlett sang Afterglow, a song that builds with her softish voice into a terrific loud/quiet rocker. It features one of several songs that have great guttural screams in them. Around Around Around had a bit of a shoegaze vibe to it
The two singers had great harmonies together and I loved when Izzie left the mic for a few seconds to walk around while soloing.
They ended with Mirror Mirror a kicking rocker with fuzzy guitars and big loud chords.
I enjoyed their set a ton and would happily see them again.
| 2024 Union Transfer | |
| Lisa 1 | |
| Lisa 2 | |
| Afterglow ∀ | |
| Around Around Around § | |
| I Know You ∀ | |
| Glass Jaw § | |
| Mirror Mirror ∀ |
∀ Messy Star (2024)
§ single (2023)
Posted in Free Range, Philadelphia, PA, Slow Pulp, Union Transfer on November 13, 2024| Leave a Comment »
[DID NOT ATTEND: November 13, 2024] Slow Pulp / Free Range
In 2022 Slow Pulp opened for Alvvays and I wrote
Slow Pulp is a funny name. Especially if (like to me) it sounds like your band is just a slower version of the band Pulp, which they are not. Rather, they are kind of a slow version of Alvvays. They are slow and introspective. Seems like a good (if maybe dull?) fit.
I still don’t like the name (for the same reason), but I’ve become somewhat more interested in them.
Last year, they were playing The Foundry on Halloween on the same night that we were seeing Japanese Breakfast. I listened to them a bit since them and while I still think they are too slow for me (the name is apt), I liked some of their stuff more than I thought I would.
I was intrigued to see them live, but this show was the same night as Palehound and Ratboys, so, I wasn’t going to miss that one.
I have actually seen Free Range live twice. Technically I only heard them on one occasion–they were playing when we arrived at All Things Go and we could hear them through the speakers. But I also saw them open for, of all bands, Ratboys (so the band they opened for last time prevented me from seeing them this time).
About them I wrote
Sofia Jensen’s voice sounded familiar–maybe a kind of Phoebe Bridgers vibe–a kind of strong whispery style, and her songs had a strong Pinegrove feel to me (turns out that Nick Levin from Pinegrove plays pedal steel on on two of the tracks). I guess the songs are indie rock with a whiff of country about them. Although, interestingly, the chill vibe was often smashed by the loud jamming sections of some of the songs, especially the final one “Want to Know” which rocked out more than the others.
I would have enjoyed this show if I was in a mellow mood.
Posted in Fazerdaze, Philadelphia, PA, Pond, Union Transfer on November 12, 2024| Leave a Comment »
[ATTENDED: November 11, 2024] Pond
I saw Pond here six years ago and it remains a memorable show for me, primarily because I got a great close up of lead singer Nick Allbrook as he was about to lean into the crowd.
I’m not sure why I didn’t go to see them in 2019 or 2022, when they played Underground Arts–I assume Allbrook was just wandering around the crowd at that show given how interactive he was with us at Union Transfer.
When they announced this tour, I was interested but also a little unsure (again, I’m not sure why, had I forgotten how much I enjoyed their last show?)
So, when they came on stage, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. Allbrook didn’t have make up on like last time, but he was immediately and amazing frontman–dancing, getting close to the edge of the stage, and engaging fully with the audience.
When I saw them last time, all I really knew about them was that they were connected to Tame Impala and the few songs I listened to were really good. [Allbrook was a touring member with Tam Impala until 2013, but Pond is far beyond any mention of Tame Impala].
They opened with a slow number called Daisy from their 2019 album Tasmania (which I don’t know at all). The song picks up into a bouncier, synthy number and it was a good opportunity to check out what the band was doing. (more…)
Posted in Panchiko, Philadelphia, PA, Trauma Ray, Union Transfer on November 12, 2024| Leave a Comment »
[DID NOT ATTEND: November 12, 2024] Panchiko / Trauma Ray
I really only know about Panchiko because of their fascinating story.
The band first received public attention in 2016 when their 2000 demo EP D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L was discovered by a 4chan user in a charity shop in Sherwood, Nottingham and shared online. The EP’s status as lost media led to a dedicated cult following and a community devoted to tracking down its band members. This was unbeknownst to the band until 2020, when Davies was found and contacted by a fan through Facebook. In November 2021, they amassed over 10 million streams on Spotify.
I genuinely don’t know if I’d go to see them, but I feel like I might give them a chance.
Opening for them was Trauma Ray, who, I didn’t know.
Their blurb sounds pretty awesome:
Among the current wave of shoegaze revivalists, Fort Worth’s trauma ray rank as high as any at capturing its complexity, intensity, and expressive devastation. One of trauma ray’s greatest gifts is their ability to make doomy, sledgehammer heaviness sound like an ear-worm, without production tricks or gimmicks: “Riff, verse, chorus, three guitar parts – that’s all you need.”
I listened to a couple of songs and they’re really good. I guess maybe I should have gone to this one.
Posted in Fazerdaze, Philadelphia, PA, Pond, Union Transfer on November 11, 2024| Leave a Comment »
[ATTENDED: November 11, 2024] Fazerdaze
When I saw Pond six years ago, I loved their opening act, Fascinator. I was equally intrigued by their opening act this time, Fazerdaze, although I didn’t really look into them too much.
When they came out on stage, it was just two of them facing each other in the center of the stage. Fazerdaze is the creation of Amelia Murray. She stood facing our side of the stage with her guitar and electronic gear. Dave Rowlands stood facing her with his guitar and synth.
And perhaps most interesting is that they’re from New Zealand.
Murray would start the drum loop and then the two of them would play together. The lights were dim so it wasn’t always clear who was doing what, but it was clear that it was Amelia’s show.
She told us that her new album was officially coming out at midnight and the set had five of the eleven songs in it.
The songs are mostly mellow with gentle psychedelic notions thrown in. Amelia has a terrific voice and the melodies were quite lovely. Although overall the vibe was a little too mellow for me. The set was fairly short, but it still felt a little long to me.
I also thought they were also a bit of an odd choice as an opening act since musically they are quite different. But I’m happy that they were getting exposure in the States and there were quite a lot of people there to see Fazerdaze. The woman in front of me sang along to every song and actually left (my area) when they were done.
SETLIST
⇑ Break!
§ Soft Power (2024)
| 2024 | 2018 |
| Daisy ⊥ | 30,000 Megatons ≅ |
| (I’m) Stung ⊗ | Waiting Around for Grace ⇔ |
| Neon River ⊗ | Sweep Me Off My Feet ≅ |
| America’s Cup ∇ | Fire in the Water ≅ |
| Sweep Me Off My Feet ≅ | Zen Automaton ≅ |
| So Lo ⊗ | Don’t Look at the Sun or You’ll Go Blind ♥ |
| Black Lung ⊗ | Sitting Up On Our Crane ⇔ |
| Constant Picnic ⊗ | Paint Me Silver ≅ |
| Edge of the World, Pt. 3 ⊗ | Edge of the World, Pt. 1 ≅ |
| Human Touch ∇ | Edge of the World, Pt. 2 ≅ |
| Aloneaflameaflower Ψ | Giant Tortoise Ψ |
| Paint Me Silver ≅ | The Weather ≅ |
| Giant Tortoise Ψ | encore |
| Toast ∇ | Midnight Mass (At the Market St. Payphone) Ψ |
| encore | Holding Out for You ⇔ |
| Fantastic Explosion of Time ♣ | Man It Feels Like Space Again ⇔ |
| Hang a Cross on Me ∇ | |
| Don’t Look at the Sun or You’ll Go Blind ♥ |
⊗ Stung (2014)
∇ 9 (2021)
⊥ Tasmania (2019)
≅ The Weather (2017)
⇔ Man It Feels Like Space Again (2015)
Ψ Hobo Rocket (2013)
♣ Beard, Wives, Denim (2012)
♥ Psychedelic Mango (2009)
I Just Read About That... 