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Suzy Clue (Brooklyn Bowl, Philadelphia, PA, April 22, 2026) [SIR CHLOE]

April 22, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: April 22, 2026] Sir Chloe [rescheduled from December 7, 2025]

This show was initially scheduled for December, but Dana had appendicitis and had to postpone the east coast shows.  This worked out for me because I couldn’t get to the December show.

Suzy Clue was supposed to open the previous show and she opened this one as well.  When I looked her up last time I discovered that Suzy Clue

is the internet’s newest “hot emo girl.” Her music is angsty but not overly precious, breathing fresh life into traditional shoegaze sound palettes. As a self-taught musician, Suzy is reminding the music industry what it’s like to start from scratch. She’s gone from not knowing what a bassline is to writing and producing a song that thrashes and shatters your heart over and over again.

I was intrigued to see her.  When the band came out I was fascinated by the set up.  Bass and guitar were really far apart with the drums tucked in behind the guitar. I thought that it was odd that Suzy on bass would be way over to the side of the stage.  And t hen as the first song started, I realized my foolish mistake.  Because they were leaving room for Suzy herself, who came out looking far sexier than I expected with “hot emo girl” taking on a very different meaning.  I was genuinely surprised at how oddly sexual her performance was (especially since Sir Chloe is totally not that).

I had listened to a few of her songs before the show (she has 4 songs released at this time) and they were cool–heavy guitars and soft vocals.  But live, I found the soft vocals to be “sexy” rather than “dreamy.”

Love Me the Same opened with a quiet guitar part and Suzy danced around the stage before singing her sultry vocals.  And then the song exploded with guitars and bass and Suzy danced around some more.  It was weird–like she didn’t know what to do, so she danced like she was trying to seduce us all.

I really liked the drum part of Holy Touch and there were some cool effects on the guitar.  In fact I liked a lot of the sounds the band generated.  But it honestly felt like she was trying way too hard to be sexy.  At one point she dropped to the floor and did something I couldn’t see and then said “oops, my pants slid down, I hate when that happens.”  She also did a sexy thing where it looked like she might make out with the bass player (but didn’t).  It was just too much.

There was also a funny moment when she said this was all so surreal because she used to work here (Brooklyn Bowl), well, not this one, the one in New York.  Hmmm.

So overall, I liked the music and I still like her recorded songs, but the live show just felt off to me.

Love Me the Same (2026)
Holy Touch (2024)
*Froze*
*No Defense*
*Feed* (2026)
*Attached*
*Rest My Mind*
Remember Me (2023)
Uneasy (2025)

All songs were released only as singles.  Songs with * are unreleased.

Posted in Brooklyn Bowl, Philadelphia, PA, Sir Chloe, Suzy Clue | Leave a Comment »

Pallbearer (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, April 20, 2026)

April 22, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: April 20, 2026] Pallbearer

I saw I had heard of Pallbearer but didn’t really know all that much about them.  I assumed they were a really heavy growling type of band.  So when Knoll announced that they were opening for them, I checked them out, enjoyed them and bought a ticket to the show.

It turns out that they are a doom metal band and the album that they were touring, Foundations of Burden, is a classic of the genre.

I had enjoyed the first two bands but when Knoll was done, a whole bunch of guys rushed to the stage.  One of them was actually a guy I’ve seen at a couple of shows recently (MMJ and Band of Horses–he even looks a bit like Jim James).  He is a massive headbanger (headbanging to Band of Horses!).  So he was finally in his element and he knew this album really well. There were a bunch of guys together who knew each other and they were all headbangers and fist pumpers.  And  while it was all harmless, I didn’t enjoy the vibe.

And when the band started I realized the real problem for me.  I was standing right in front of Brett Campbell’s guitar amps.  And it was LOUD!  So when he stepped up to the microphone and I literally couldn’t hear him I wasn’t too happy.  Later on, bassist Joseph D. Rowland sang another part and I couldn’t hear him either.

By the third song, when Devin Holt played a solo and I could hear it until Campbell started playing his guitar, I knew I had to move.

So the album has 6 songs which meant I was already half way through.  But I just wasn’t really enjoying myself.  So I left the front and headed toward the back.  And things were much better back there.  The sound was phenomenal–balanced perfectly and still loud as anything.  Mark Lierly was on drums with a fairly small kit net to the wall of amps–but he was certainly loud enough. Continue Reading »

Posted in Knoll, Lástima, Pallbearer, Philadelphia, PA, Type O Negative, Underground Arts | Leave a Comment »

José González / Abby Sage (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, April 22, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

April 22, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 22, 2026] José González / Abby Sage

My wife and I saw José González a year ago in New Jersey.  It was a wonderful set–quiet, moody and exquisite sounding.  We didn’t feel the need to see him again.  Sometimes one set is perfect.

I’m not sure if he added more people for this show (ours was solo).  I see that the setlist was similar but with lots of songs switched out.   I’m not sure if I need to see him again, but we’ll see.

Abby Sage is a singer songwriter from Toronto.  She writes interesting moody folk songs and she sings with the vocal style tha I assoiate with young women in the 2010s and 2020s–like she’s afriad to elucidate the vowels or something.  I don’t dislike the style, but it seems very common and I’m curious about it.  At first I thought it was regional, but it clearly isn’t.  If she had a whole band I would have enjoyed her set because the harmonies (guitar and vocal) are really nice on her audiotree session..

Posted in Abby Sage, José González, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

Knoll (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, April 20, 2026) [PALLBEARER]

April 21, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: April 20, 2026] Knoll

I saw Knoll open for Agriculture three months ago.  Then I saw that they were returning in three months to open for Pallbearer.  And they are the reason I went to this show (and why I listened to Pallbearer for the first time).

Knoll’s show in January was just mind blowing–intense and wild and loud and a little scary.  And I really wanted to see them again.  Last time I was in front of guitarist Cameron Giarraputo, so this time I wanted to experience it from the other side of the stage in front of Ryan Cook guitarist and trumpet (!) player.

What did I write three months ago?

I have seen a lot of extreme bands, but there’s nothing to prepare you for this.

And the show was largely the same.  Possibly the same songs, but it’s kind of hard to tell.  So I’ll quote from myself a bunch.

Knoll set up their gear.  They had an old-looking end table (I would guess like 100 years old, with all kinds of filigree–but probably not worth anything) and interesting gear on it.  The table also had a little light on it and there were four floor lamps around the stage.

This time I watched as singer Jamie Eubanks asked them to cut all of the lights.

These lights were the only things that lit the stage!  And, most interesting of all, each band member had a step on plug which turned their individual light on and off throughout the show.

All five members of the band were dressed in all black–button down shirts and black pants.  And the lead singer, James Eubanks, has his head shaved, (possibly his eyebrows), his fingernails shaped into points.  He looks like Nosferatu.

Last time I noted that Giarraputo was like a machine with the speed and technical expertise he brought to these incredibly fast songs.  The same was true of Cook–his wrsits moved so fast!

Drummer Jack Anderson must be exhausted by the end of the show playing so fast.

Continue Reading »

Posted in Knoll, Lástima, Pallbearer, Philadelphia, PA, Underground Arts | Leave a Comment »

Ilana Glazer (Helium Comedy Club, Philadelphia, PA, April 21, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

April 21, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 21, 2026] Ilana Glazer

I loved Broad City.  But I haven’t really been that interested in seeing Ilana Glazer live.  Not sure why.  But these show announcements haven’t excited me that much.  This show happened to be between two nights when I was already going out, so I didn’t really consider it.

Although now that I have been to Helium, and I see how small it is, I think it would be really fun to see someone like Ilana there.    Especially since she did at the much larger Miller Theatre last year.

By the time I realized that we should probably go to this, it was sold out (no surprise there).

She’s playing in New Jersey in a few months though so, maybe we’ll go there instead.

Posted in Broad City, Helium Comedy Club, Ilana Glazer, Philadelphia, PA | Leave a Comment »

Lástima (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, April 20, 2026) [PALLBEARER]

April 20, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: April 20, 2026] Lástima

I hadn’t heard of Lástima.  They are a Philly band who plays blackgaze which may be a term they made up, or maybe not.  But it makes sense.

They play fast, heavy, dark music with mostly growled vocals.  Back in the day we called these cookie monster vocals.  But cookie monster vocals are for fast singers and I think singers of this style of music sing more like real monsters–slow and deep and creepy AF.

What set this band apart was the inclusion of Thuy Nguyen on violin! (!).  From where I was you couldn’t always hear the violin (again, I need to stand further back from the stage) but when the rest of the band quieted down, the violin was a wonderfully mournful component.

I was in front of Eric Mauro on guitars and Hazel Whitman on bass.  I could kind of see Sam Hyla on drums, but really the most entertaining person was singer/guitarist Richie DeVon.

DeVon sang.  Sometimes in a normal voice (during the quiet section) but usually with a growl or a scream.   There were a few songs (or openings of songs) which had quiet piano parts.  DeVon played them and was usually accompanied by Nguyen on violin.  Toward the end he got down on his knees and screamed his head off while messing about with his effects pedals.  It was quite cathartic.  Continue Reading »

Posted in Knoll, Lástima, Pallbearer, Philadelphia, PA, Underground Arts | Leave a Comment »

HEALTH / Carpenter Brut / Desire (Franklin Music Hall, Philadelphia, PA, April 19, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

April 19, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 19, 2026] HEALTH / Carpenter Brut / Desire

A few years ago, my son told me he was into Carpenter Brut.  I hadn’t heard of them, but I kept them on my radar to see if they’d tour around here.  Well, here was a tour!  Carpenter Brut and a band called HEALTH whom I had never heard of.

But before we can even get remotely excited about this show, it was the same night as a family member’s birthday.  So there was no way we could go.  Which was a real bummer because my son listened to HEALTH and liked them so much he bought a shirt online.

HEALTH is an interesting band.  They can be heavy and electronic, with industrial overtones, although the lead singer reminds me of the Pet Shop Boys, except the part where the vocals are screamed at the top of their lungs.  For the most part, the new album is old school industrial type music with really gentle vocals.   Although their earlier stuff is really noisy and chaotic.

Carpenter Brut is a synthwave project.  Franck Hueso blends aggressive beats with synths and an obsession with 80s action and horror films.  It’s kind of like Magic Sword, but more synthy.

Desire is an electronic duo from Montreal.   They play slinky cabaret type music with vampy spoken word vocals, and swirling melodies.  They’re interesting, but a bit slow.  Probably a good opening band for this night.

This review from Montreal Rocks makes the night sound really fun.  If only it could have been some other night.

Posted in Carpenter Brut, Desire, Franklin Music Hall, HEALTH, Philadelphia, PA | Leave a Comment »

The Chameleons / The Veldt (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, April 18, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

April 18, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 18, 2026] The Chameleons / The Veldt

I thought that I knew The Chameleons. They’re a British band from the heyday of British alt rock.    They’re from Manchester and started in 1981.  I’ve known about them for as long as I can remember.  But I guess I got them confused with The Charlatans (Charlatans UK here).  Because when I listened to the debut Chameleons album, I didn’t recognize a thing.

I didn’t dislike the albums, but I didn’t feel compelled to go listen to them.

The Veldt is a “soul powered rock band on the heavier end of the shoegaze spectrum.”  Formed by identical twins Daniel and Danny Chavis, The Veldt emerged from Raleigh, North Carolina, with instincts shaped by gospel, Motown, Prince, Sun Ra, and Pink Floyd.

The vocals are really soulful with some great rocking guitars.  It was actually The Veldt that made me thing this (or three) times about going to this show.  But it didn’t happen.

 

Posted in Chameleons, Philadelphia, PA, The Chameleons, The Veldt, Underground Arts | Leave a Comment »

King Tuff / Morgan Nagler (Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA, April 18, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

April 18, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: March 23, 2023] King Tuff / Morgan Nagler

King Tuff is Kyle Thomas.  Thomas was a member of Ty Segall’s band for a time (and Segall plays on his albums).

I really enjoyed his Black Moon Spell album, but I haven’t listened to him all that much since.  When this show was announced I put it on my radar, but knew that I was pretty busy this week.  When my weekend opened up because a scout trip came up, I seriously thought about getting a last-minute ticket t this show.  But it was already sold out.  So that’s okay.

Morgan Nagler is a singer from Los Angeles.  She plays slowish fuzzy indie rock.  Her voice is pleasant and cool.  She is also the singer for Whispertown.  In a fun backstory that seems to be popping up from time to time, Nagler worked as a child actor, appearing on Punky Brewster and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.  But she’s got the musical bona-fides (she wrote a song for Rilo Kiley and did a single with Kim Deal).

I think this would have been a really fun show.

Posted in King Tuff, Morgan Nagler, Philadelphia, PA, Punky Brewster, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Leave a Comment »

Touché Amoré / One Step Closer / Greet Death (Brooklyn Bowl, Philadelphia, PA, April 17, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

April 17, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 17, 2026] Touché Amoré / One Step Closer / Greet Death

I’ve seen Touché Amoré twice and have been clown away both times.  When they announced this tour of the Stage Four album, I was ready to see them.  I don’t know this album any more than their other ones, but I do enjoy a tour of an entire album.

Now this album is pretty intense: it is the band’s fourth album, but the title’s central inspiration was singer Jeremy Bolm’s mother, who died of cancer.  But I have been so impressed by the passion and empathy of the band that I assumed this show would be the very definition of catharsis.

But then DAVE announced a show the same night and I had a tough time deciding which to go to.  I had never seen DAVE before, after all.  And then, the whole thing was moot because the John Malkovich show was announced in Princeton, and there was no way I could miss that.

I’m sure Touché Amoré will be back and I will happily see them again next time.

I don’t know One Step Closer, but they are a straight edge hardcore punk band from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.  They are indeed a hardcore band (the singer is a classic hardcore screamer) but they have some melodic components as well.  Indeed, in one song there’s intense hardcore screaming and also really pretty harmonies.  They haven’t put out an album since 2024 and it sounds like their sound is evolving.  I’ll bet they are great live.

I saw Greet Death (geez, with this name and the TA album being about cancer…) open for Foxing in 2022.  I have an overall good memory of them, but when I look at the post I wrote, I didn’t have all that much to say about them, except that the girls in front of me talked thoughout their set.  Their newest album is even more shoegaze than when I saw them.  This would have been a fun night (despite the darkness).

Posted in Brooklyn Bowl, Greet Death, One Step Closer, Philadelphia, PA, Touché Amoré | Leave a Comment »

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