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Archive for the ‘Union Transfer’ Category

Alcest (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, February 20, 2025)

Posted in Alcest, Kaelan Mikla, Kælan Mikla, Mono, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on February 22, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: February 20, 2025] Alcest 

I hadn’t heard of Alcest before this tour.  I was mostly excited when I saw that Mono was playing Union Transfer.  But when I listened to Alcest, I rather liked them.  Especially their latest album Les Chants de l’aurore, which is the album they were touring.

So Alcest has been around for almost 20 years, although their first album came out in 2007.  After some lineup changes, the band was solely the work of Stéphane “Neige” Paut who played everything.  In 2009, drummer Winterhalter from Les Discrets joined Alcest, after eight years with Neige as its sole full-time member.  Neige still plays everything except drums on the records.

Since 2010, the live shows include Pierre “Zero” Corson on second guitar and backing vocals and Indria Saray on bass.

I was really pleased with my spot near the stage when, with moments to go before the band came out, two women pushed their way up next to me taking up more room than there was between us.  And when the band started she proceeded to either really get into it or was just messing with me as she kept putting her hands through her hair and then raising her arms high and wide for minutes at a time.  I’ve literally never had one person ruin a show as much as this sociopath did.

Fortunately she (presumably) got sick after four songs.  She was clearly very drunk, and then after a couple of songs she seemed to just stop and stare straight ahead of her and then after the fourth song she bolted for the back of the room (to which a guy behind me said, thank god).  Her friend (who was very short) then proceeded to take up enough space for both of them, headbanging in a way that ensured you didn’t want to stand behind her.  A song or two later, she received a text and then headed to the back of the room.  In my mind, the tall one got drunk and nauseous and them ruined the second half of the show for herself and her friend after she ruined the first part of the show for me and everyone around me. (more…)

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Mono (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, February 20, 2025) [ALCEST]

Posted in Alcest, Kaelan Mikla, Kælan Mikla, Mono, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on February 21, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: February 20, 2025] Mono

I saw Mono back in 2019 and I was blown away by their show.  I haven’t been able to see them since, and I was mildly bummed that they were opening instead of headlining this show.  But any chance to see them is a good one.  And, it introduced me to Alcest!

The crowd was really really into Mono.  In fact a couple of people up front left after their set.

They played mostly new songs.  All of their songs are instrumental and sound vaguely similar, so I can’t tell them apart.  That’s not an insult, they play seven to ten minute epic tracks that build to varying degrees of intensity and I could listen to them all night.

I was in front of guitarist Hideki “Yoda” Suematsu who is described as a rhythm guitarist but who does a lot more than that.   Bassist Tamaki Kunishi was in the middle (except for the one song she played keys on).   And Takaakira “Taka” Goto was on the far side of the stage (and hard to see on the mostly dark atmosphere).

Their drummer Dahm Majuri Cipolla was tucked in behind a rack of amps, and it was hard to see him.  He also had a gong!  And I was a little bummed that I could only see a part of it, but it was cool to see him smack it on two different songs. (more…)

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Kælan Mikla (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, February 20, 2025) [ALCEST]

Posted in Alcest, Kaelan Mikla, Kælan Mikla, Mono, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on February 20, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: February 20, 2025] Kælan Mikla

I had never heard of Kælan Mikla before this show was announced.  And, since I love music from afar  Was instantly intrigued by this is Icelandic band whose name means (according to Google) The Great Chill or (according to Wikipedia) Lady of the Cold.

They are a trio of Laufey Soffía on lead vocals, Margrét Rósa Dóru-Harrýsdóttir on bass and Sólveig Matthildur Kristjánsdóttir. on keys and more (although only keys for this show).

They came out on stage in dark and spooky lighting (later when I saw them at the merch table, I saw that they had interesting cracked and cobwebby makeup under their eyes.  And Soffia was dressed in an all black gown (seemingly made of toile) with super long fingernails.  It was like a goth flashback and I loved it.

So I guess this music is darkwave, a genre I don’t really know.  I feel like the few darkwave songs I’ve heard I didn’t like.  But maybe seeing it live is a different story, because the whole gothy presentation was fantastic.  I couldn’t really hear Soffia’s vocals (in part because they were in Icelandic, but mostly because of where I was standing), but she sang in variants of quiet, almost whispery singing and screams.  But it combined perfectly to generate a really retro spooky feel with cool modern feminist trappings.  (more…)

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Lauren Mayberry (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, February 17, 2025)

Posted in Chvrches, Cult of Venus, Lauren Mayberry, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on February 18, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: February 17, 2025] Lauren Mayberry

I was a fan of Chvrches when their first album came out.  Then I kind of lost track of them.  But in that time my wife became a fan.  We missed their last tour in Philly (back in 2021 (!)).  When Lauren Mayberry released a solo album, we both loved the single “Something in the Air” and  thought it would be neat to see her live.

The show didn’t sell very well, which was surprising I thought, since Chvrches has sold out Franklin Music Hall, a much bigger venue.  But it meant that we had a really intimate show, which was awesome.

Overall I liked most of the album Vicious Creature, although there were a few songs that I wasn’t that excited by.  But wow, these songs were fantastic live!  

She had two band members on stage and, I think, a guy on the side with a bank of Apple laptops (I joked that it looked like an Apple store–there were about five!).  The two members on stage were Marian Li-Pino on drums and Heather Nation doing guitar or bass depending on the song.  Later in the set, Heather played piano and Marian played guitar for a song, too.

Heather Nation was ferocious on guitar–generating great sounds.  And Marian Li-Pino was a beast on the drums.  They had a cool cymbal that was bent and made a great metallic, non-cymbal sound.  And Lauren Mayberry was an excellent front woman–she knows how to perform a show.   And what a voice!  I mean, it was amazing.

She played the entire album.  The bangers were amazing–bigger and louder than I expected.  The quieter songs were pretty, a little too mellow for my enjoyment, but hey, you need to vary the mood.  (more…)

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Cult of Venus (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, February 17, 2025) [LAUREN MAYBERRY]

Posted in Chvrches, Cult of Venus, Lauren Mayberry, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on February 17, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: February 17, 2025] Cult of Venus

It was a cold windy night when we headed out to this show.  Luckily, we managed to get really close parking (Monday night shows are good for that).  Which meant we were plenty early to see the opening act, Cult of Venus.

Cult of Venus has had a lot of mystery surrounding her.  I’m sure her identity is known (I didn’t look too hard to find it), but the two main articles I saw gave this info:

Forgoing any photos to remain completely anonymous and undefined, Cult of Venus have given themself the perfect platform from which to build and long and exciting career. ][They make] music that illustrates and illuminates the dystopian world today, challenging the patriarchy and resonating with the “divine feminine.” Her on-the-ground activist work includes support for incarcerated women and environmental protest movements. Her mysterious presentation is often shrouded in darkness, with her identity and face in the shadows. Her secretive appearance aligns her poetic soundscape in a way that not only drives more curiosity to her audience but is calming in a world so focused on desperate self-promotion.  With shows in all-female prisons and detention centres in the books already, as well as a show as part of New York City’s Women’s March, Cult of Venus have a big year planned while being rooted in reform.

They opened the show with a prerecorded message about strength in the face of oppression.  And then she came out, picked up her guitar and stood in front of the keyboard.  

The only problem to me was the fairly lengthy (I mean, it was probably less than a minute, but it was SO QUIET) pause before the first song started.  I feel like she could have timed that a little more smoothly.  But whatever.

She generated some beats and some synths and proved to have a fantastic voice.  When she played guitar, she clearly had it patched into an effects box because it didn’t sound like a guitar–it was very cool. (more…)

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Sudan Archives (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, January 28, 2026)

Posted in Halima, Philadelphia, PA, Sudan Archives, Union Transfer on January 29, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: January 28, 2026] Sudan Archives

I’ve known about Sudan Archives since her first album came out.  I wanted to see her in 2020, but her show sold out.  Then it was just before the COVID shutdown and her show wasn’t cancelled but hardly anyone went so I could have gone (but I didn’t know that and probably wouldn’t have gone anyway).  I had a ticket to see her a couple years ago but didn’t make it.  But then I finally saw her at All Things Go in 2023,so I was excited to get to see her again at her own show.

This show was postponed by one day because of all of the snow.  Initially I didn’t think I would be able to make it because we had tickets to something else tonight.  But I managed to reschedule that and was really happy that I made it to this show.

And wow, what a transformation.

The stage was set with three plexiglass platforms. On the left was a small table with a violin and some electronics.  I was in front of that.  In the middle was a taller circle with her new flying V violin on a stand.  And at the far side was a computer and a table.

The lights went dark and she came out.  The sound effects on the computer made it sound like she was robotic.  And it was still dark on stage so I’m not sure if everyone could see her because it was silent in the audience.  She slowly walked over to the computer.  Every time she moved her body it followed mechanical sounds.  And each step sounded like a huge robot stomp.  Finally, she moved to the center area and pulled out her violin bow–to the sound of a sword being unsheathed, and the crowd went nuts.

She stood atop the center plexiglass and started playing her violin.  It sounded so good while mixed with the backing music.  She was also singing, although I couldn’t see her face at first.  Her voice sounded great too.  And I soon realized that it was going to be just her up there.  Amazing.

The first song was DEAD, the opening song of the new album.  The lighting was dark as she sang and played.  After the dramatic opening, she moved over to the computer, which I assume was connected and possibly ran her backing tracks.  She jumped back to the center platform with her flying V violin, playing, turning away from the audience then looking back over her shoulder.  It was flirtatious but also sounded great.

For the second song, she returned to the computer area and picked up two clear drum sticks.  She then proceeded to pound out the rhythmic sounds that feature in NOIRE.

Once she started Yea Yea Yea she became more interactive with the audience.  I was on the barrier and she came over and pointed right at me a few times, which was unsettling because she was very intense.  She got the crowd to chant along to “Im not– average” as she introduced NBPQ, a rousing anthem of individuality.

I really liked the way she could go from rousing dance beats to pretty violin melody, all while still singing.  Interestingly she did have a microphone stand with a mic on it (mostly she used the wireless headset).  But when she sang Touch Me she used the other mic which had an echo effect on it.

When she stood on the center platform and the black lights flashed upon her, her eyed glowed in an otherworldly way–I don’t know what kind of contacts she had in, but between that and the cool lines of makeup around her eyes she looked amazing.

The violin is pretty versatile and I loved when she brought it to the front of the stage and started playing it like a guitar–picking out the slow melody of Nont for Sale.  Although when she did a sing along (hey hey hey hey) she came over to us and asked us to sing and stomped off saying I can’t hear you.  This surprised me because I thought the crowd was really into it, but they did sound kind of quiet to me too. (more…)

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Soccer Mommy (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, January 25, 2025)

Posted in L'Rain, Philadelphia, PA, Soccer Mommy, Union Transfer on January 26, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: January 25, 2025] Soccer Mommy

I saw Soccer Mommy back in 2021 and was surprised that it sold out.  And this show, four years later, also sold out.

After seeing her last time I knew what was to expect.  The only bad part was that I didn’t know her new album that well.

Sophie Allison (who is Soccer Mommy) plays guitar and sings.  She has a standard four piece behind her–Rollum Haas: drums, Nick Widener: bass, Julian Powell: guitar and Rodrigo Avendano: guitar/keys.

As I said last time, the band is really good and they bring these songs to life live in a more powerful way than on the album.

The thing that most surprised me last time and surprised me this time is that she played her big hits pretty early in the set.  Last time, Circle the Drain was her big single and she played it second!  Well, she played it second this time as well.

And her song Driver, which is one of my favorite songs of 2024 she played third!  It sounded amazing–her voice is fantastic live.

Then after playing one more new song she played the other big song that she had out recently, Shotgun.  So that was the three biggest songs I know by her all done within the first five songs.

After that she played a bunch of songs from the new album. I didn’t know them very well, but they sounded great.  However, the show slowed down quite a bit during these songs as each one was more chill than the previous.

At some point Eagles fans started a chant (there are Eagles fans at Soccer Mommy shows?)  Sophie asked what that was all about and then said I don’t really care about football, which led to a huge cheer.  (more…)

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L’Rain (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, January 25, 2025) [SOCCER MOMMY]

Posted in L'Rain, Philadelphia, PA, Soccer Mommy, Union Transfer on January 25, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: January 25, 2025] L’Rain

I saw L’Rain open for Animal Collective without knowing anything about them.  I was blown away.. I really liked the

extended jams that were full of everything–wild, weird guitars, drums that went from simple and gentle to thrash-worthy, and a saxophone that didn’t sound anything like a saxophone.   And Cheek’s voice.  Which she sampled in various ways, pitch shifting it, looping it on top of itself and creating an astonishing array of sounds.

But this show was a littkle different.

She started out with her first song (that comes from a soundtrack) and it was pretty quiet.  Cheek manipulated her voice and much, but it was mostly atmospheric.

The second song featured her on guitar playing an interesting rotating melody.  But it was also pretty quiet.  The keyboardist played some swirling saxophone solos.  I feel like both songs pushed the 6 minute mark.

The band took up about half of the stage and I was right in front of the drummer (no names were given).  During some of the songs, he went crazy, playing loud and fast while the rest of the band jammed and improvised.  He was my favorite player tonight.

The previous time, I was mesmerized by their guitarist because he was doing all kinds of interesting things [strange chords, or non-chords, making squeaking feedbacking sounds] but I didn’t really feel like he did that tonight.

Knead Bee and Uncertainty Principle showed that L’Rain largely plays an R&B base to her songs.  The songs were pretty chill and I was really missing the excitement of the previous show, although, again, I really like the way she manipulates sounds live.

And then she played a melody that was really familiar.  And once I realized that it was Portishead’s The Rip, I was ecstatic.  I’ve never seen Portishead live and although Beth Gibbons is coming to Philly, her solo stuff doesn’t interest me all that much.  But this version of The Rip was fantastic!  The guitar was perfect, the electronics kicked in exactly the right way and Cheek sang in the best Beth Gibbons style.  Hoy cow it was awesome.

So I was still in a good mood for the final song Two Face, a song she played last time that featured a little more of the chaos that I appreciated last time.

I actually had to wonder if L’Rain was crazier last time because they were opening for Animal Collective and contained themselves more for a less experimental headliner like Soccer Mommy.

 

2025 2022
Green Π Which Fork £
5 to 8 Hours a Day (WWwaG) ⊗ A Toes (Shelf Inside Your Head) £
Knead Bee ⊗ Find It €
Uncertainty Principle ⊗ Round Sun €
The Rip [Portishead cover] Kill Self €
Two Face € Blame Me €
Two Face €
Take Two €

£ L’Rain (2017)
€ Fatigue (2021)
⊗ I Killed Your Dog (2023)
Π I Saw the TV Glow soundtrack (2024)

 

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The Vaccines / Thus Love (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, January 16, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, The Vaccines, Thus Love, Union Transfer on January 16, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: January 16, 2025] The Vaccines / Thus Love

When this show was announced, I thought it would be a great first show of the year for me and the kids.

A couple of summers ago, my son listened to one of The Vaccines’ records almost constantly.  And My daughter and I saw Thus Love open for Crawlers back in 2022.  We really liked them and they were super friendly.

But it turns out my son only liked the one album by The Vaccines (their debut) and didn’t care for the rest.  I’m still amazed that I’d never heard of them (they had like six singles from the debut album).  And my daughter wasn’t really interested in going either. (more…)

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Strand of Oaks [Winter Classic X] (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, December 14, 2024)

Posted in Pat Finnerty, Philadelphia, PA, Strand of Oaks, Union Transfer on December 15, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: December 14, 2024] Strand of Oaks [Winter Classic X]

I’ve seen Strand of Oaks five times now.  Three of these were Winter Classics.  I kind of assumed that I’d go to all of the Winter Classics (but I knew I wouldn’t make all of them).  However, I’m surprised that I haven’t seen one since Winter Classic V.

After a really fun opening set from Pat Finnerty and what was basically the rest of the Strand of Oaks band, they all came back, this time with Tim Showalter–and he received a very warm welcome.  I’m not sure how full the event was–the previous years he’s played two sold out nights at Johnny Brenda’s, but Union Transfer is much larger.

But the crowd was really into it, especially the guy a few people down from me who was jumping and pogoing through every song.

I can’t believe that it’s been five years since I last saw a Strand of Oaks show.  I really enjoyed his 2021 album In Heaven, but I didn’t enjoy the latest album Miracle Focus quite as much.  I didn’t really think this show would focus on that album–the Winter Classic is meant to be a fun night for Tim and the fans, and not a typical tour show).  But I was actually surprised how little he played from it, especially since his keyboard player was up front (and I felt a little too quiet).

Instead, he played six songs from In Heaven.  I was pretty pleased with the song selection, although there are a lot of older songs that I would have loved to hear too.

In between the In Heaven songs, he played Party at Monster Lake and Fantasy Wranglers from the new album and a great powerful version of Ruby.  At the end of Ruby he asked us if we’d mind if his friend Pat Finnerty played a fucking guitar solo and Pat did.  I had figured out that Pat was a remarkably talented musician from his improv set and from the solos he’d been playing, but for this solo, he played a really great solo that wasn’t obnoxiously showoffy or fancy, it was just grooving and rocking and the band was fully behind him. (more…)

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