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Stars (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, September 21, 2024)

September 21, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: September 21, 2024] Stars

I have been a fan of Stars since about 2004.  I finally got to see them on their Christmas tour of 2022.  Singer Torq said that they would definitely be back for a Christmas tour the following year (they weren’t) and they didn’t do one in 2024 either.  But instead they did this: a 20th anniversary of Set Yourself on Fire, the album that introduced me to the band and which I love.  So yes, I was going to this one, too.

No surprises in the setlist then.

Instead it was a great band playing a great album

Amy Millan and Torquil Campbell sounded great and their onstage rapport is always amazing together–like (sometimes jilted) lovers (although they are not).

The rest of the band has remained the same for 20+ years.  Last tour I learned that bassist Evan Cranley and guitarist Chris Seligman are the main composers of Stars’ music. They repeat a riff or tune until something develops, and then Campbell and Amy Millan write lyrics.  (This according to Wikipedia).

Drummer Pat McGee and lead guitarist Chris McCarron were joined by a violin and sax player for some of the songs. Continue Reading »

Posted in Christine Bougie, Lydia Persaud, Philadelphia, PA, Stars, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

Hanabie [花冷え。] (Starland Ballrom, Sayreville, NJ, September 20, 2024) [JINJER]

September 21, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: September 20, 2024] Hanabie

I have seen Jinjer twice.  I didn’t really think about this tour until I checked out the opening acts.  I hadn’t heard of Hanabie, but when I looked them up I was blown away and was really excited to see them live,

I actually assumed that they would go on first since they are so much newer of a band than Born of Osiris.  But I was delighted to find out that BOO was on first so we could relax and enjoy the fun.

Hanabie [花冷え。] is a Japanese band known for combining loud and heavy music with contrasting Harajuku aesthetics in a style self-described as “Harajuku-core.”  They have been around since 2015 (when they started as a Maximum The Hormone cover band).  They have clean vocals and unclean vocals and the most fascinating thing is that singer Yukina does both!  She sings in an incredibly high almost cartoonish voice and then shifts to a growl that would impress anyone.

Guitarist Matsuri also sings– and has a lovely voice.  She often sings super catchy chorus and bridge parts while Yukina adds to them.  Bassist Hettsu also sings and has a lovely clean vocal style.  The three of them together are a dynamic force.

Drummer Chika is the only new member (they’ve had several drummers over the years).  I couldn’t see her at all because she was positioned on the far side of the stage/  Which was quite a bummer.

But Yukina, Matsuri and Hettsu were certainly enjoyable enough to watch.  They ran back and forth between stations, completely engaging with the crowd.  The few times that Yukina came over by us, you could see her making faces at people in the crowd.

Their set was so much fun–full of energy and excitement.  I particularly liked that they had so many high sounds–in a genre that is usually devoted to low frequencies.  Between the high vocals and some of the electronics it really made for a dynamic show.  I’m not sure how they all are (mid 20s, I guess?) but they had so much energy, bouncing and jumping around the stage.

And their fashion sense was pretty great too.

They were a great opening act and I would absolutely see them again–I hope as a headliner.

2024
Metamorphose! §
Ware Amatou ⊗
Reiwa Matching-sedai ⊗
O•TA•KU Lovely Densetsu §
NEET GAME ♥
Kotoshi koso Gal~Shoka ver.~ ♥
GIRL’S TALK §
Tales of Villain ♥
TOUSOU ♥
Osaki ni Shitsurei Shimasu ♥

§ single (2024)
♥ Reborn Superstar (2023)
⊗ Girl’s Reform Manifest (2021)

Posted in 花冷え。, Hanabie, Japanese Music, JInjer, Sayreville, NJ, Starland Ballroom, Ukraine | Leave a Comment »

Lydia Persaud & Christine Bougie (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, September 21, 2024) [STARS]

September 21, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: September 21, 2024] Lydia Persaud & Christine Bougie

Back in 2022, I saw Stars for the first time (on their Christmas tour) and loved them.  The opening act was Lydia Persaud (& Christine Bougie).

I believe that they both play together in a lot of things.  Lydia has been a member of The Soul Motivators, The O’Pears and Dwayne Gretzky and she and Christine are part of the the Queer Songbook Orchestra.  

They played a jazzy set of remarkably sad music.

When Stars announced this new tour for Set Yourself on Fire, I was super excited.  And, they announced some interesting opening acts along the way (including Dears, a band I could have seen before the pandemic but missed them and they haven’t been back since).  Continue Reading »

Posted in Christine Bougie, Lydia Persaud, Philadelphia, PA, Stars, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

Born of Osiris (Starland Ballrom, Sayreville, NJ, September 20, 2024) [JINJER]

September 20, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: September 20, 2024] Born of Osiris

I’ve seen Jinjer twice and I didn’t really think I needed to see them again.  But they announced this show at Starland Ballroom and I was intrigued by one of the openers, Hanabie.  I hadn’t heard of Born of Osiris.

Turns out Born of Osiris is a metalcore band that’s been around for over fifteen years.  Interestingly, the band’s first two records were more or less created and played by the band’s mastermind and drummer, Cameron Losch.

Their set was very loud–so loud that it was hard to distinguish anything.  I wasn’t really all that interested in anything they played.   There were a few moments that included some electronics but mostly it was just bludgeoning and intense metal.

I found it kind of dull, actually.  It amused me that the singer kept trying to get people really psyched–I’m assuming that they have played headlining shows in the last fifteen years.  But every time they pointed the floodlights to the crowd, it kept showing an empty floor.  Part of the problem for them was that the website said they were going on at 7:30, but they went on at 7:10 and Starland is notoriously bad about slow entry.

There were some people who enjoyed it, but compared to the dynamic nature of the next two bands, they seemed really rather plodding.

This was the setlist from a show a few days later.  I assume it was the same.

 

2024
Open Arms to Damnation §
Bow Down §
Elevate ¥
Empires Erased §
Abstract Art §
Angel or Alien ♥
A Mind Short Circuiting ¥
In Desolation ¥
Machine ⊗

¥ single (2024)
♥ Angel or Alien (2021)
⊗ Tomorrow We Die Alive (2013)
§ The New Reign EP (2007)

Posted in Born of Osiris, Hanabie, Japanese Music, JInjer, Sayreville, NJ, Starland Ballroom, Ukraine | Leave a Comment »

Sisters of Mercy / Black Audio (The Met Philadelphia, PA, September 18, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 18, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 18, 2024] Sisters of Mercy / Black Audio

Back in the 80s, I was big into goth bands.  And I loved The Sisters of Mercy.   They were pretty damned cool.

Well, except for Vision Thing.  But the other two albums were awesome.

I was sort of interested in seeing this show to relive the old days (seeing Skinny Puppy this year was awesome).  But I didn’t really think I wanted to go.  At least not really.

I have since seen the setlist and there’s only three songs from Floodland and four from Vision Thing.  And then a whole bunch of unreleased stuff.

Just as well I stayed home

Blaqk Audio (I didn’t realize that was a q until writing this–look at the poster above) is an American electronic music duo, formed by current AFI members Davey Havok and Jade Puget.

They seem almost like they are poking fun of this kind of music.  But apparently their live shows are a lot of fun with lots of dancing.

 

Posted in Blaqk Audio, Philadelphia, PA, The Met Philadelphia, The Sisters of Mercy | Leave a Comment »

Brutus (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, September 16, 2024)

September 17, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: September 16, 2024] Brutus

Brutus is a trio from Belgium.  I wasn’t familiar with them until this show was announced but when I listened to their album Unison Life, I loved everything about them and knew I wanted to see them.

As the Superbloom gear was being removed, there was a drumkit on the right side of the stage.  I assumed that it would get moved to the middle, but it never did!

Rather, guitarist Stijn Vanhoegaerden and bassist Peter Mulders were center stage with all of their gear (including Milders’ bass pedals) and vocalist and drummer Stefanie Mannaerts faced them from the side of the stage.

Mannaerts’ microphone was on her left so she turned to the crowd when she sang.  The problem for me is that one of her cymbals was right where her face was, so I literally couldn’t see her face the whole night.  Even when the guy in front of me made room for me (that was very nice), it was still impossible to see her. Continue Reading »

Posted in Brutus, Philadelphia, PA, Superbloom, Underground Arts | Leave a Comment »

Superbloom (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, September 16, 2024) [BRUTUS]

September 16, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: September 16, 2024] Superbloom

Superbloom is a 4 piece Brooklyn band.  They are grunge-y and heavy (and loud).

Their latest single shows the band as a five piece so I don’t know which guitarist was playing.

Lead singer Dave Hoon has a great grungy voice, at times sounding a bit like Kurt Cobain (and on one song drummer Matteo Dix did backing vocals like Dave Grohl).  Hoon was wearing a Soundgarden shirt and I’m sure that was only part of the reason I could hear Soundgarden in their music as well.

None of this is to say that they were a knock off band because they weren’t.  I never thought “this sounds just like X,” rather I loved the vibe and the confidence of the songwriting. Continue Reading »

Posted in Brutus, Philadelphia, PA, Superbloom, Underground Arts | Leave a Comment »

The Lemonheads: It’s a Shame About C’mon Feel Tour / Cooper B. Handy / The Taxidermists (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, September 14 & 15, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 15, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 14 & 15, 2024] The Lemonheads / Cooper B. Handy / The Taxidermists

I rather enjoyed The Lemonheads’ anniversary of It’s a Shame About Ray.  But I felt that Evan Dando’s performance was less than stellar.  And there was no word that he was “doing better” these days.

So even though I would have really enjoyed hearing these two albums in total, I wanted to hear them by Evan from twenty years ago.

Markit Aneight was there so I didn’t have to be and his video confirms that Evan was in a bad way that night.  So I’m glad I didn’t waste my time.

The first night opener was Cooper B. Handy.

Cooper B Handy has a kind of 90s DIY sound, but from the video below I wouldn’t really have enjoyed him that much.

Born on Cape Cod, Cooper B. Handy started releasing music as LUCY in 2009. In the years since, the Western Massachusetts based singer/producer has made a career of self-releasing music and videos, unpolished & posted in near real time.

The second night opener was The Taxidermists, a band from Massachusetts that’s been around for over a decade and which may have been the same band as played the first night.

the duo of singer/guitarist Cooper B. Handy (LUCY) and drummer Salvadore McNamara—take complete creative control on their infectious new KO EP. The organic sound of two childhood best friends sequestered in a garage with tape reels.

The first night it was just Cooper and a drummer, so maybe it was the same band–but probably different songs?  Maybe?

 

Posted in Cooper B. Handy, Lemonheads, Philadelphia, PA, The Taxidermists, Theatre of Living Arts | Leave a Comment »

Garcia Peoples / Country Westerns (Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, September 14, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 14, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 14, 2024] Garcia Peoples / Country Westerns

I have seen Garcia Peoples five times, but I hadn’t heard much from them lately–which is only surprising because they used to play all the time.  So much so that I have NOT SEEN them five times since the last time I saw them.

I would have liked seeing them again, and Milkboy would be a great place to see them.  But this was a day that we had plans and it has been a busy concert month, so I gave it a miss.  I do hope  they play around again soon.

Country Westerns are a three-piece band with a two-man engine: Joseph Plunket is an Atlanta hardcore kid turned singer-songwriter whose first solo gig was opening for Cat Power. He went on to lead Brooklyn alt-country legends The Weight during the height of NYCs mid-00’s garage rock bonanza and played bass on the side for King Tuff and Gentleman Jesse. Brian Kotzur is a swaggery metronome who drummed for Silver Jews and was a close collaborator of David Berman. The band’s first fan and an early champion of theirs, Berman would lurk in the back of dingy Nashville clubs and film their early shows on a flip phone.

They play a kind of late Clash-like punk and would be a lot of fun.

Posted in Country & Westerns, Garcia Peoples, Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA | Leave a Comment »

Silversun Pickups (Wellmont Theater, Montclair, NJ, September 12, 2024)

September 13, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: September 12, 2024] Silversun Pickups

I had several opportunities to see Silversun Pickups in the last year or so.  (They’ve played in Sayreville, Asbury Park and now Montclair, as well as Glenside, Bensalem and Philly in the last two years).  So I finally decided it was time to go see them.

I think their song Panic Switch is absolutely dynamite.  It’s one of my favorite songs of the early 2000s.  And they have a few other songs that I like as well.  Indeed, I listened to their discography recently and overall really liked them.  I mean, I can’t shake how much they sound like Smashing Pumpkins, but since I haven’t listened to Smashing Pumpkins on purpose in years, that’s fine.   They’re like Pumpkins without all of the Billy Corgan drama.

The band i a four piece with amazing bass sounds from Nikki Monninger–with only one guitar (and keys) Monninger’s bass is fundamental to these songs and they often (like in Panic Switch) have a great riff holding the song down.  The keys are from Joe Lester.  I have no real sense of what he was adding, but I know he was adding a lot–probably more than I realized.

I’ve always liked the look of Chris Guanlao who stands out in pictures with his long dark hair among the light-haired guys.  But holy crap I was not prepared for how loud his drums would be.  The guy is a beast back there–playing all kinds of tempo changes and just accentuating everything.  He was amazing.

And of course up front is Brian Aubert who said he was bummed that he didn’t get to buy a jacket at thrift store that had closed by the time he returned to it.

The band came out to red lights and the song Growing Old is Getting Old (from Swoon).   Midway through, the song shifted and the full stage lights kicked in.  The stage had dozens of lightbulbs hanging down from the ceiling.  They were LCD and changed colors and lit up.  I was pretty cool.

I really like It Doesn’t Matter Why from their previous album and I think I need to listen to that one a bit more. Continue Reading »

Posted in Montclair, NJ, Silversun Pickups, Speedy Ortiz, Wellmont Theater | Leave a Comment »

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