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Pinhead Gunpowder / Night Shop / Hammered Hulls (First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA, October 16, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

October 16, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 16, 2026] Pinhead Gunpowder / Night Shop / Hammered Hulls

There’s not much that could get me to go back to the First Unitarian Church.  There’s nothing wrong with the venue per se, and they have AMAZING bands playing there.  But my one experience was marred by so many logistical nightmares that I don’t even consider it when bands play there (it’s a me thing).

But when this show was announced,  I did consider it, and then it sold out in a second.  Why?  Because Pinhead Gunpowder has Billie Joe Armstrong on the band.  And when would you ever be able to see Billie Joe up close like that?  I don’t even know what they sound like.

“Pinhead Gunpowder started writing songs in 1990 and made our first 7-inch the following spring. Nearly every year since, we’ve met up to play. Some years we recorded-five albums and eleven EPs-and some years we played shows. But since 2010, we’ve been playing just for ourselves, something bands forget to do. A new record and tour was only a matter of time, but between the members’ other bands projects, and families, that was hard to find. When we finally did, we were all surprised. We think it’s our best yet-our catchiest, most collaborative, and most poignant.”
– Aaron Cometbus

The rest of the band is full of members who have been in other bands as well (although I only recognized one).  They play simple, catchy poppunk songs, as you might expect.

I hadn’t heard of the other two bands

Night Shop is from Los Angeles.

Led by Justin Sullivan, Night Shop delivers captivating music that combines elements of folk and indie rock. With heartfelt lyrics and soulful melodies, Night Shop creates a unique sound that resonates with listeners, drawing inspiration from various genres and artists such as Dougie Poole, Holiday Ghosts, and Bonny Doon [I haven’t hear do of any of them].

The songs I listened to were simple and catchy.

Hammered Hulls  is a kind of supergroup who have only one album out.

The band sees Alec McKaye (younger brother of Ian) playing with experimental/jazz guitarist Mark Cisneros and Mary Timony, yes that Mary Timony, on bass.  The album also features Chris Wilson, who I just saw with Ted Leo, on drums.  I’m not sure if he’ll eb with them as I think he’s touring with Ted.  But maybe that tour is over.  There’s a kind of Fugazi vibe to the album.  Kind of 80s punk but with some experimental things going on too.  They might be the most interesting band on the bill, actually.

Posted in First Unitarian Church, Hammered Hulls, Night Shop, Philadelphia, PA, Pinhead Gunpowder | Leave a Comment »

Lauren Ash (Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA, October 15, 2026)

October 16, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: October 15, 2026] Lauren Ash

I have enjoyed Lauren Ash as an actress for a pretty long time–since I first saw her on Super Fun Night, and then of course on Superstore.  I had no idea she had put music out.  Indeed, I found out that Lauren Ash put out a record when I saw this show listed at Kung Fu Necktie.  So I had to look her up.  And she has an album out.  And I really liked it–90’s era pop punk, funny lyrics and catchy as anything.

I thought it would be interesting to see her, but I had a ticket to see The Dillinger Escape Plan that evening–quite a different sound.

The more I looked into the DEP show, the less I was interested in seeing the first two bands (no offense to them, I just didn’t think I could handle a full on heavy night), so I decided to do something wacky.  The Lauren Ash show started at 7.  What if I went to the Lauren Ash show at Kung Fu Necktie, and when she was done, I could drive to Underground Arts and see just DEP.  I had tried a similar plan a few times before with varying results.  But I assumed that Lauren’s show would be fairly short and that all would work out.

Here’s some deets on Lauren’s music career

She exploded onto the music scene in 2023 with her pop punk single “Now I Know” (which debuted at #1 on the Canadian iTunes rock chart and #5 on Billboard’s Alternative Download Chart). Her debut album “Call Me When You Get This” released in September 2025 featuring her single “Whiplash” which was nominated for a “Hollywood Independent Music Award” for best rock/pop song. She performed her single “Sad This Christmas” on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” and spoke about her music on “Jimmy Kimmel Live”.

I read some reviews of her UK shows and they were all positive, so I was in.

After The Droogettes set, her stage was set up wit a TV and a telephone.  When 9PM came around, the phone rang.  After several rings, Lauren’s voice said, can someone answer that please?  A woman answered it and Lauren thanked her and then asked if that person would start the TV.  Which she did.  And what played was a series of well wishes and teases from just about everyone from The Superstore cast as well as other folks (Cobie Smulders).  It was really funny and set a great tone for how the show might go.

Lauren’s band (a guitarist and drummer) came out on stage and then Lauren ran out to the stage.  She was psyched to be there and psyched to be playing music.  She brought an incredible energy.

The biggest surprise for me both on record and live is how high her voice is.  She has a pretty deep authoritative voice on her shows, but she was up an octave for these songs.  Of course I had to wonder if her higher voice had anything to do with her weight loss–I wouldn’t think so, but what do I know.

She started with Dumpster Fire and was clearly having a blast–jumping around stage and emoting the lyrics.  I enjoyed it a lot that she was snarky in her delivery when necessary–it added a lot to the presentation.  I know the album pretty well, so I was surprised when she played some songs I didn’t know.  Like The One Who Got Away (a 2024 single) and Now I Know (a 2023 single).

Lauren played guitar for a couple of songs and talked about how excited she was to be in a band. Continue Reading »

Posted in Blink 182, Eraser, Green Day, Kung Fu Necktie, Lit, Philadelphia, PA, Remember Sports, Super Fun Night, The Afterglows, Weezer | Leave a Comment »

RJD2 / Solar Circuit / Angelo Outlaw Trio (Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, October 15, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND] [Philly Music Fest]

October 15, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 15, 2026] RJD2 / Solar Circuit / Angelo Outlaw Trio

RJD2is a music creator from Ohio.  I love his first album so much that I really had a hard time deciding whether or not to go to this show or Dillinger Escape Plan (so very different).  I lost track of RJD2 over the years and had no idea he was even still making music (he’s making a LOT).  He plays a lot with sounds and vibes from the 70s (especially TV theme songs).  I like most of the songle songs tha I hear from him, but i did wonder if he’d play anything off of Deadringer.  If I hadn’t had other things to see that night (and if I’d ever heard of the openers) I would have tried harder to go.  Especially after reading this review of an RJD2 show in July

RJD2- came out.  Right off the bat, I knew something was different just by the gear set up he was using.  I’m not going to pretend to know what all he was using up there, but it was definitely not your standard two turntables and a microphone setup.  He had two sampler pads in addition to the turntable setup and who knows what else, and he played all those things with all the passion and precision of a master musician.  It was extraordinary.  Honestly, I’ve never seen anything like it.  I really don’t even know what else to say.  I don’t know enough about the genre to make comparisons.  I don’t know the HOW of it all, what sort of musical sorcery he conjured to make it happen.  All I know, is I really, REALLY enjoyed it.  And I’m open minded enough to admit, I’ve been wrong to cast such a wide net of derision over an entire genre.

Solar Circuit is a Jamtronic Trance Fusion band, with improvisational roots to take the crowd down a unique and experimental path with each live set. “Even with influences like The Disco Biscuits, STS9, Lotus, and Phish, Solar Circuit maintains a unique style and sound in their live performances and in their recent studio work while mixing in the dance/trance element…”  They definitely have an electronic vibe to their sound that sets them apart.  I dig it, although I’d prefer if the songs were all instrumental.

Angelo Outlaw is a mallet percussionist, recording artist, composer, and instructor from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His elegantly funky sound weds contemporary groove jazz and progressive R&B to glitch-hop beats and downtempo atmospherics.and I’m quite certain the opening notes to Free My Mind are used on WXPN for one of their promos.  His music is retro and super cool, I really like it a lot.  Had I known this was what would be playing tonight I would have seriously considered going.

This sounds like a really grooving night–very very different than the night I chose to have.

Posted in Angelo Outlaw Trio, Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, RJD2, Solar Circuit | Leave a Comment »

The Droogettes (Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA, October 15, 2026) [LAUREN ASH]

October 15, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: October 15, 2026] The Droogettes

I found out that Lauren Ash put out a record when I saw this show listed at Kung Fu Necktie.  I had no idea she put out any music.  So I had to look her up.  And she has an album out.  And I really liked it–90’s era pop punk, funny lyrics and catchy as anything.

I had not heard of the opening band, The Droogettes who have clearly named themselves after A Clockwork Orange (their logo confirms).  Imagine my surprise to read that

Philadelphia’s The Droogettes have been making noise since 2013. Equal parts street punk grit and pop hook glory, their “Sugar Oi!” sound sits somewhere between Cock Sparrer’s working-class anthems and Blondie’s downtown cool – melodic, hook-driven, and built for singing along. After a six-year hiatus, the all-female five-piece is back, louder and sharper than ever.

The band came out on stage and clearly had a large fan base in the audience.  They are a five piece and while I didn’t really love their recorded sound, live, they were fantastic.  They played short punk songs–three chords, lots of backing vocal chanting and very little nonsense.  As Creepoid Records says: they inject the Punk and Oi! movement with an all-female alternative to a scene that is mostly male dominated.

They were great!  (New) lead singer Ami Friend (who is the singer for Lips of Kohl) has taken over vocals and she is great–intense, funny and full of energy.  I actually prefer her vocals to the original (sorry).

They played fun, fast punky songs.  Some had solos, but most didn’t and most had fun chanted choruses or just Hey Hey/ Oh Oh parts that were a lot of fun to sing along. Continue Reading »

Posted in Kung Fu Necktie, Lauren Ash, Philadelphia, PA, Superstore, The Droogettes | Leave a Comment »

The Dillinger Escape Plan (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, October 15, 2026) [Philly Music Week]

October 15, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: October 15, 2026] The Dillinger Escape Plan

When this show was announced as part of Philly Music Week, I grabbed a ticket immediately.  I had seen The Dillinger Escape Plan ten years ago when the opened for Mastodon and it was one of the most memorable shows I’ve seen–even if I was very far away and it was so loud I had to leave my spot to buy earplugs.

They have only played Philly twice since that show.  Once a couple months later at Union Transfer and once two years ago at FMH again.  shouted out Philly venues they played when they were first starting out, especially Stalag 13 (which I’ve never heard of but was a legendary DIY punk location 1996-1999 apparently).

Speaking of Philly Music Fest, a festival that is nominally about Philly music, The Dillinger Escape Plan are (proudly one might say) from New Jersey.  But that’s okay and lead singer Dimitri Minakakis shouted all of the people in Philly who have seen them at so many clubs along the way (he listed a whole bunch).

They opened with the noisy sounds of *#.. and then splashed right into the incoherent screams of Destro’s Secret.  And the place exploded.  I didn’t realize (and coudln’t really tell since I don’t know the album very well) but they played three songs in a row from Calculating Infinity (just not from the start of the album).  For all of the speed and chaos, DEP is tight as anything.  They way they shifted from chaos to quiet in The Running Board was really impressive.

I didn’t realize that this show was going to be basically a Calculating Infinity tour.  They played the entire album as well as the EP they released before the album, Under the Running Board.

The midsection with wild drumming and wild guitar of The Mullet Burden was incredible to hear live.  And then it was back to the album sequence with Clip the Apex, including the static and samples, and Calculating Infinity, a song that slowed things down for a couple of minutes and gave S a rest.  But wow, so much noise and chaos in about 15 minutes.

Minakakis took a break from time to time to address the crowd, thanking everyone for coming and for being with them all this time.

And it certainly didn’t stop there.  They jumped to the opening of the album, Sugar Coated Sour, and then back to Under the Running Board for Sandbox Magician. Continue Reading »

Posted in Aphex Twin, Caged, Ministry, Philadelphia, PA, Philly Music Fest, Pyrrhon, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Underground Arts | Leave a Comment »

Show Me the Body / Lip Critic / Combust (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 14, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

October 14, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 12, 2026] Show Me the Body / Lip Critic / Combust

Despite my enjoyment of noisy. abrasive bands, I am turned off by certain band names. Show Me the Body is one I don’t care for–I just assume with a band name like that your songs are all about murder.  But I don’t know anything about their music.

Turns out they are a post hardcore band whose music includes a banjo.  They play a kind of murky, punk-industrial vibe, mixes brimming with thorny and clangorous textures.  And the banjo is often distorted and wild.  And with lyrics like “Radical love compels me to fight” they clearly aren’t singing about committing murder anyhow.  It’s kind of interesting although I didn’t love it.

I was mostly interested in this show for Lip Critic. I saw Lip Critic last year and the blew me away.  I’d never want to listen to their records, but live, they were incredible.  Noisy and chaotic with two drummers and a guy who plays keys/samples/something.  And a singer who commands the room.  I definitely want to see them again, but not as the middle band between two others I didn’t know.

Combust is a pretty much straight up old school hardcore band (nice not to see the “post” before hardcore).  I’m glad to know there are still new hardcore bands coming up.

 

Posted in Combust, Lip Critic, Philadelphia, PA, Show Me the Body, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

Balthvs / Free Whenever (Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA, October 14, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

October 14, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 2, 2026] Balthvs / Free Whenever

This We saw Balthvs open for My Morning Jacket two nights in a row and they were dynamite both nights.  I was super excited when they announced this show only to find out that I had tickets to two other shows on the same night.  I might have even chosen this one over one of the others but Ardmore is a hassle to get to and I really wanted to go to the third show anyhow.

Treblezine says of them, that they are a

surf-rock fusion trio from Bogotá, Colombia, which blends dub with Middle Eastern melodies layered over cumbia. Balthvs, which consists of Balthazar Aguirre on guitar, Johanna Mercuriana on bass, and Santiago Lizcano on drums, has an inviting musical presence and a deftly blurring range of influences that makes them shine a bit differently than another, more prominent power trio blazing up genre amalgams for what used to be just the blazed, but have now taken on multiple identities of chill.

They were really great live.

I hadn’t heard of Free Whenever who are a Brooklyn-based psychedelic groove band (bassist Trevor LaVecchia, guitarist Neil Gulieria and drummer Brendan Steuart).  I’ve listened to a few songs and they really hit a sweet spot for me.  Their bio says

Free Whenever’s unique blend of vintage psychedlia, dub reggae, eastern modality, and African rhythmic tradition leaveslisteners fully immersed in a synesthetic sound experience.  Their self-proclaimed “psychedelic groove music” identity is built on intertwining, conversational bass and guitar melodies over a backbone of Afro-Latin percussion and punchy, hip hop-inspired drums.  Live, Free Whenever runs rawer and more psychedelic than the records: the songs are launch points, and the improvisation builds rather than repeats. 

This sounds like a really great show and I am bummed to have missed it, for sure.  But they’re both young bands and will, I assume, be back again.

Posted in Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA, Balthvs, Free Whenever | Leave a Comment »

Gully Boys / Pollyanna / Raising Arizona (Williams Center Black Box, Rutherford, NJ, October 14, 2026)

October 14, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: October 14, 2026] Gully Boys / Pollyanna / Raising Arizona

I saw Gully Boys four years ago when they opened for Dazey and the Scouts.  I have wanted to see them again because their set was amazing.  I don’t know why it’s been so long since I had a real chance to see them again.  I had already bought a ticket for Gilla Band tonight, but here was Gully Boys and Pollyanna, who I’ve wanted to see for ages too.

Turns out Gully Boys have only played Philly a couple of times, and only once since I saw them (opening for someone else).

Gully Boys even sent me a postcard (in the mail!) for this show.  I was super psyched to go to this show.  And then I thought about it a little more.  Because the postcard said everyone was encouraged to dress like a clown.  And I was not going to do that.  I’m sure there would have been no hard feelings had I shown up without a costume on, but I didn’t want to deal with that.  Plus, the show was not as close as I thought–Rutherford seems close but actually isn’t.  I’d never been to the Williams Center, and I do love new venues, but the timing of the show was just awkward.  The final nail for this show was that my friend was going to the Gilla Band show and I thought it would be fun to hang out with him.

So, I blew them off. Choices are hard.

This is my 7th time missing Pollyanna.  They are am intense, political punk band who write catchy songs and are pretty cool.  I sure hope to ssee them at least once.

Raising Arizona are from New Jersey–“a female-fronted alternative rock band that blends powerful vocals with grunge-tinted, hard rock sounds and style.”  They are surprisingly not pop punky for this bill, with more of an old school radio-friendly metal vibe, including soaring guitar solos.

 

 

 

Posted in Gully Boys, Pollyanna, Raising Arizona, Rutherford NJ, Williams Center Black Box | Leave a Comment »

Sugar: Love You Even Still 2026 Tour (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 13, 2026)

October 14, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: October 13, 2026] Sugar 

Sugar hasn’t toured in some 30 years.  For some reason I thought I had seen them back the first time, but I’d actually seen Bob Mould doing a solo tour (with a band) and they played Sugar songs.

I’ve seen Bob several times, both by himself and with a band, but I was really excited to see Sugar and, while it wasn’t THAT different from when he plays a solo show (with a band) it was all Sugar and there were several songs sung by David Barbe, the legend from Athens.  And Malcolm Travis (I had no idea his history) was on drums.

There was a MASSIVE banner that read SUGAR behind them and, aside from lighting changes, there wasn’t much more spectacle.  Because this (as with most things Bob does) was all about the music.

After an opening tape of The Beatles’ She Said She Said (which I joked was played at the loudest volume I’ve ever heard The Beatles played) the band came out.  Malcolm sat at the drums, David grabbed his bass and Bob headed to the guitar.  For the whole show, nobody changed instruments, they just played 23 songs in 90 minutes and left us exhausted and elated.

Bob was his usual antsy self, stomping around the stage like a boxer warming up. He was dripping sweat by the end of the first song.  They opened with the first three songs from Copper Blue.  I have seen Bob and I’ve seen him play a few Sugar songs in recent years, but as soon as David sang the backing vocals on The Act We Act, it was a real Sugar show.

I deliberately didn’t listen to any of the albums before the show for fear that I’d be upset if they didn’t play the song I wanted to hear and I was pretty thrilled by how much all of this music that I’d listened to so much came back to me.

Hearing the opening bass line of A Good Idea (a very Pixies like song) was wonderful and watching Bob play that rising guitar note was just as cool .  We all sang along to “that’s a good idea, she said she said.”  There was an older woman in front of my wife.  She was short with long gray hair and for the first couple of songs, she was completely consumed by the music–raising her arm (something I particularly hate) and dancing and moving and backing into my wife–she took up way too much space.  She settled down after the opening salvo of songs, but it was fascinating.  We were annoyed by her, but also appreciative of how into it she was.

I loved hearing Changes, and probably would have happily had them play the entire album straight through (but they had to save a few songs for the end).  They  sprinkled songs from File Under: Easy Listening throughout the set.  So up next came the David Barbe sung Company Man.  I didn’t recognize it at first–David’s mic seemed a little quiet and/or he was singing a little too quietly.  His backing vocals (which were usually higher) sounded great.  But he was a little muffled on lead.   I hadn’t thought of Company Man in a long time and it was cool to hear it–Bob’s screams at the end gave it even more punch. Continue Reading »

Posted in Bob Mould, J. Robbins, Jawbox, Philadelphia, PA, Sugar, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

PISS (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, October 14, 2026) [GILLA BAND]

October 14, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: September 24, 2026] PISS

I wasn’t too impressed when I heard the opening band was called PISS, (some names just rub me wrong), but I listened to their song “blocking a scene you can’t remember” and holy cow it is one of the most intense songs I’ve heard in a long time.  The way it is constructed combined with the way the noise builds and builds.  Wow.  And the lyrics.  Jesus.

So who are they?  And how are they signed to SUB POP already?

PISS is a noisy, genre-bending four-piece band from Vancouver, B.C. Combining punk, poetry, sound collage, performance art, and visual art, the band creates a multidisciplinary body of work that blurs the line between personal and political.

Powered by thoughtful musicianship, energetic live performances, and a crystal-clear artistic mission, PISS writes punk music that aims to transcend the limitations of a well-established genre. Their work draws inspiration from a range of unexpected influences: literary giants, philosophers, filmmakers, painters, psychoanalysts, activists, children, members of a German anarcho-feminist militant group, and conversations with audience members. These voices represent varying ideological beliefs about gender-based violence and enable PISS to create art that depicts challenging and controversial issues such as sexual violence and enculturated gender norms without reduction, romanticization, polemics, or dogmatism.

This is radical feminism bathed in noise.

The band came out on stage and while the rest of the band was getting their gear ready, lead singer/screamer taylor zantingh stood front and center, stretching.  She stretched her arms, her back and some intense leg stretches (with knee pads).  I knew this was going to be an intense performance.

The band crashed to life, gavin moya feedbacking the bass, tyler paterson standing in front of the amp generating guitar sounds and garreth roberts smashing the drums.  After a 30 second intro of loud noise, taylor said “hi everybody.”  She was polite and a bit quiet.

Before the set began, she gave us a trigger warning, that these songs are about sexual assault.  And also to let us know that if a mosh pit forms and you don’t want to be in it, to raise your hand and people will make sure you get out of the way safely.  She also said it was going to be very loud, so put in earplugs. Continue Reading »

Posted in Gilla Band, Philadelphia, PA, PISS, Underground Arts | Leave a Comment »

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