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Dying Fetus / Sanguisugabogg / Crowbar / Left to Suffer / Deterioration (Franklin Music Hall, Philadelphia, PA, September 17, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 17, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 17, 2026] Dying Fetus / Sanguisugabogg / Crowbar / Left to Suffer / Deterioration

There was no way I was going to this show.  But I like Sanguisugabogg–not their music, just their social media account.  So I like to know they’re still doing their thing.

Dying Fetus has been around since 1991.  They are from Maryland. Their singer sounds like he’s singing from under the earth.

Sanguisugabogg is from Ohio.  Their singer is a but more understandable, although as their bio says: disgusting gorym but ultimately tongue in cheek lyrics.

Crowbar dates back to 1990!  I can’t believe I’ve never heard of them.  They are from New Orleans and are mire sludgy than death metal.  They have a cool vibe, although I don’t care for te singer that much.

Left to Suffer formed in 2019 in Georgia.  They are heavy and screamy, and describe themselves as “nu-deathcore.”

Deterioration is the brainchild of two brothers from Minnesota.  Formed in 2003, they play relentless of grind with no slow parts or breakdowns. Blast beatings so pure, all tom drums were thrown to the wayside as to not get in the way.  Luckily they were the shortest opener.  They sound exhausting.

So, totally not my scene.  The whole night sounds exhausting.

Posted in Crowbar, Deterioration, Dying Fetus, Franklin Music Hall, Left to Suffer, Philadelphia, PA, Sanguisugabogg | Leave a Comment »

Annie-Claude Deschênes (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, September 16, 2026) [ANGINE DE POITRINE]

September 16, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: September 16, 2026] Annie-Claude Deschênes

I am vey rarely ahead of a trend, but I think I found out about Angine de Poitrine about two days before everyone else.  I recall watching the KEXP show and thinking, wow, I want to see these guys.  And then like two days later, they blew up and everyone wanted to see them. The video went up on Feb 6 and by Mar 16, when this show was announced, I knew it would be hard to get a ticket.  Luckily, I scored a ticket (and paid $34, not $300).

Who even knew if they were going to have an opener.  Well, soon enough, the opener was announced as Annie-Claude Deschênes.  When I looked her up, I couldn’t find any music by her, which is weird since she has an album Les Manières de Table that came out in 2024.  And a new(ish) single from 2025.

So just who opens for Angine de Poitrine?  Well, Annie-Claude Deschênes is a performance artist and musician.  I have just learned that she was in a band called Duchess Says who were on the terrific alien8recordings label and put out three albums between 2008 and 2016.  Not sure what Annie-Claude was doing in the meantime, but she certainly hasn’t lost any front woman skills.

When the rumbling noises of her first song started, a man in a waiter outfit (bow tie, cloth, paper receipt) stood on the stage and shone a flashlight around.  Then Annie-Claude came running out and shouted the end of that first song.  The second song, Culinary Security was more dancey, but the music was very old school synth style.  Indeed, the bandcamp summary of her album says

Inspired by the pioneers of electronic music, LES MANIÈRES DE TABLE is as danceable and melodic as it is disquieting and dystopian. The album proposes to set the table differently by deconstructing the social codes of politeness, and draws from a wide range of influences, notably Steve Reich’s minimalism, Kraftwerk’s synthetic textures, Herbie Hancock’s stylistic diversity and experimental cinema’s unconventional approach to narrative.

The lyrics were in English and French and song three, Phones, saw Annie-Claude taking a (prerecorded) reservation.   I should mention that on stage this whole time was a small table and two chairs.  After this song, the waiter, who had been polishing the table, put flowers and several Reserved signs on the table.  Menace Minimale was more dancey and I enjoyed the way Annie-Claude moved in a robotic way to the synth blasts and chord changes. Continue Reading »

Posted in Angine de Poitrine, Annie-Claude Deschênes, Duchess Says, Philadelphia, PA, Underground Arts | Leave a Comment »

Sparta / Public Opinion (Warehouse on Watts, Philadelphia, PA, September 16, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 16, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 16, 2026] Sparta / Public Opinion

I really enjoyed seeing Sparta in 2023.  They’ve been around a couple of times since then and yet I can never make their shows.  Tonight’s show is up against Angine de Poitrine, so sorry, Sparta.

Public Opinion is a punk band from Denver.  It’s like 90’s era guitar rock–simple catchy, loud and brash.  Initially, I wasn’t that impressed, but with more listens, I dig them.  Nothing special, but solid and, I’m sure a great opening act for Sparta.

 

Posted in Angine de Poitrine, Philadelphia, PA, Public Opinion, Sparta, Warehouse on Watts | Leave a Comment »

Danny Elfman (The Met Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, September 16, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 16, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 16, 2026] Danny Elfman

I felt like this concert was announced suddenly and with no warning (which is how Danny likes it, I’m sure).  I was super interested in going, but it was on the same night as Angine de Poitrine and there was no way I was missing that, even if this was Danny’s first tour in 30 years.

I remember Danny from his Oingo Boingo days and obviously everyone knows his from his hundreds of fantastic scores.  Since I had no plans to go  to this I didn’t give a lot of thought to what the show would be like.  so I’m fascinated by this review from Loudhailer magazine:

Danny Elfman has done a few one-off festival performances in recent years, but his stop at The Fox Theatre was only the second show of his first actual tour with a band since 1995 – and it absolutely rocked. How could it not, given an all-star backing that included guitarists Nili Brosh from Dethklok, Robin Finck of Nine Inch Nails, A Perfect Circle bassist Matt McJunkins, and Josh Freese, who has drummed with everyone from Devo and Guns N Roses to Foo Fighters. Putting a supergroup like this together meant that Elfman was never going to just replay nostalgic Oingo Boingo hits or film scores. That would have been a waste of the overwhelming talent on stage. Instead, songs from the ’80s new-wave era were rebuilt in a more industrial metal style. 

 The sonic reinterpretation ran throughout the night, with Oingo tracks like “Ain’t This The Life” and “On The Outside” trading their new wave brightness for a much heavier grind. Most of the show fluctuated between Oingo classics and tracks from Elfman’s 2021 solo record Big Mess, which didn’t need the same makeover since they were written with exactly this sound in mind.  Another standout of the night was the one and only piece of Elfman’s film work that made the set: a metal version of “This Is Halloween,” which Elfman played in a Jack Skellington-style jacket.

The 80-minute, 20-song set closed with Boingo classics “Only a Lad” and “No One Lives Forever,” followed by an encore of “Who Do You Want to Be.” Thirty years after Elfman last toured for a living, the songs didn’t sound preserved and replayed. They were rebuilt and renewed.

So how about that

Danny Elfman at Fox Theatre in Detroit, MI

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, The Met Philadelphia | Leave a Comment »

Angine de Poitrine (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, September 16, 2026)

September 16, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: September 16, 2026] Angine de Poitrine

I am vey rarely ahead of a trend, but I think I found out about Angine de Poitrine about two days before everyone else.  I recall watching the KEXP show and thinking, wow, I want to see these guys.  And then like two days later, they blew up and everyone wanted to see them. The video went up on Feb 6 and by Mar 16, when this show was announced, I knew it would be hard to get a ticket.  Luckily, I scored a ticket (and paid $34, not $300).

I am still puzzled about their popularity.  Sure, the gimmick is a good one, but their music is weird and instrumental.  Since I don’t speak French, I resisted saying their name for a while, calling them “the polka dot band” for my family.  And then one day in the last couple of months, my wife was telling me how catchy she thought their radio friendly song Sarniezz was.  And I realized that even though they’re weird and play micrtonal jams, the songs are crazy catchy too.

When a band breaks it big like this, there’s always the assumption that people want to go just to be there.  And sure, people capitalized on the fame by scalping tickets for crazy prices.  But the people here were pretty seriously into the music.

Normally I can stroll up to a venue 15 minutes before the opening act and get a pretty great spot.  But I knew this would be different.  So I left straight from work and arrive in front of the venue around 6:15 and there was a line almost to the end of the block.  I parked and walked over and was able to stay on the entrance side of the street–before it curved around the block.  It was a good 35 minute wait for the doors, but everyone around was chatty and friendly and that’s okay by me.

When we got in, for the first time ever, everyone who was already in the venue was crowded around the stage (rather than at the bar or merch). So I hung to the side with one of the guys I was talking to (who had never been there and I should have known better).  The spot we had wasn’t bad, but I probably should have gone to the middle more.  Of course, this is annoying complaints since I was three people from the stage (and they recently played in front of 100,000 people).  I was more or less in front of Khn de Poitrine but I couldn’t see Klek de Poitrine (drums) without moving–good thing he has a massive helmet on.

The duo came out to the music of LCD Soundsystem’s North American Scum, tuned their gear and then held up their triangle hands to each other (for a comically long time) and then held them up to us–which everyone responded to, of course and within moments Khn was playing the thumping bass of Angor.  Khn clapped his hands along his hat to get people to clap, I guess (who knows what these aliens mean when they communicate). Continue Reading »

Posted in Angine de Poitrine, Annie-Claude Deschênes, Duchess Says, Philadelphia, PA, Underground Arts | Leave a Comment »

Circa Survive / Geoff Rickly / Boo Boo Spoiler // Circa Survive / The Waywords / Queen of Jeans // Circa Survive / From Indian Lakes / Air is Human (Fillmore Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, September 15, 16 & 17, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 15, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 15, 16 & 17, 2026] Circa Survive / Geoff Rickly / Boo Boo Spoiler // Circa Survive / Queen of Jeans / The Waywords  // Circa Survive / From Indian Lakes / Air is Human

I’m not sure when I heard about these three shows, but as soon as I looked at them, they were all sold out.  So, regardless of whether I wanted to se Circa Survive (I did), I was too late.

I didn’t know Circa Survive at all until 2022, and was really surprised to hear that they were from Philly (which is why these three shows sold out so quickly).  Back in 2022, they sold out two nights at Union Transfer and then cancelled the show last minute.  They’re alt and emo and I’m just really surprised I’d never heard them before.  They are obviosuly huge in Philly, but I’m not sure just how big they are elsewhere.   I like that all of the bands on the bills are either from Philly or NJ.

Geoff Rickly is the singer for Thursday, who I had hoped to see at Underground Arts recently but which I couldn’t get to.  As a solo performer, Rickly was fantastic.  He told little stories before each song and played a mix of solo and Thursday songs.  I assume he’d be solo here for this as well.

Boo Boo Spoiler is a DIY band from Philly that’s managed to build a considerable amount of hype off the strength of their live shows, and none of that magic is lost in the studio; in fact, it’s only amplified.  The Philly shoegaze scene is boiling over with talent right now and these guys are great.  I hadn’t heard of them, but I really liked what I listened to–shoegaze with some fun, weird elements.

Queen of Jeans is a Philly band who I’ve seen on a lot of marquees.  I feel like for a while, back before the pandemic, they were opening for a lot of shows that I didn’t go to.   I see now that they haven’t done much since 2019, but they came back with a new album last year.  They are poppy and delightful.  For some reason I thought they were more punky.  I’d be happy to see them live, but once again I’ve missed them.  Their new album is great.

The Waywords I can’t find a single thing about them online.  I wonder who they are.

I saw From Indian Lakes open for L.S. Dunes.  But by the time I walked in, From Indian Lakes were almost done.  They released their first record since 2019 mid last year, which falls under a shoegaze, indie rock type of genre. The latest album of Head Void was a lot heavier than Dimly Lit in 2019, but compared to L.S. Dunes it’s quite tame.  They are apparently the brainchild of lead singer Joe Vann (Joey Vannucchi) a totally understated front man, who was also pretty funny, replying to fans shouting things and generally keeping the mood light.  We saw about three songs in full and I really liked their vibe–very chill and shoegazey.  Although, live there was a harsher element than the soft shimmer of the album.

Air is Human is a duo from Philly. They mix explosive beats and emotive Rhodes piano with bold and atmospheric guitars. Blending influences from downtempo and ambient with kraut and psych rock, the sound is loud and enveloping.
The description is pretty apt.  It’s definitely experimental and unusual, but is really catchy and intriguing–the “enveloping” part is totally accurate.  I’m very intrigued.

Continue Reading »

Posted in Air is Human, Boo Boo Spoiler, Circa Survive, From Indian Lakes, Geoff Rickly, Philadelphia, PA, Queen of Jeans, The Fillmore Philadelphia, The Waywords | Leave a Comment »

President / Showing Teeth / Cenobia (Theatre of Living Arts [TLA], Philadelphia, PA, September 15, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 15, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 15, 2026] President / Showing Teeth / Cenobia

I had not heard of President until this show was announced. And I was surprised by the backstory

President are an anonymous English band formed in 2025, who blend metalcore with electronica.  The band had released no music and were unknown until they were announced to play at that year’s Download Festival, sparking speculation to their identity. Their frontman, the eponymous President, is described by Revolver as “silver-haired, wearing an eerie, not-quite-lifelike mask etched with deep wrinkles and radiating wax-figure unease.”  The band’s current lineup consists of The President (vocals), Heist (guitarist), Protest (bassist) and Vice (drummer).

Then I saw that this how was announced with a lot of hype and I considered getting a ticket until I read all the hatred sent at the band.  And when I listened to them I didn’t like them, so no ticket for me.  Of course, it sold out really quickly, so my attendance was not needed.

I was really surprised at how soft the vocals are (for the most part).  This is a pretty decent description from GhostCultMag

the verse creates space for emotive soulful vocals to lure you in for a big, anthemic, hooky chorus. To market this as metal, you also need to throw in some djent guitars with technical drumming. But don’t worry, to take the sting from this, we’re mixing in multiple layers of harmonized vocals with a dab of auto-tune as the icing on the cake.

They turned out to be the least interesting of these three bands (despite the masks).

Showing Teeth is another new band that I hadn’t heard of.  The confusing Wikipedia entry starts

Addison, known professionally as Showing Teeth, is an American vocalist, songwriter, and heavy metal musician, from Nashville, Tennessee. Her debut extended play, A Fate Worse Than Loneliness, released in September 2026.

The vocals are intense and varied–lots of screaming, a bit of growling and then some gorgeous high soaring vocals.  The music is electronically precise and really heavy/crazy.  I would love to see her live.

Cenobia is a solo artist from Sydney, Australia. She writes music for him. He will never hear it.

That’s what her bio says in every place she posts it.  I’m intrigued by her and fascinated to see that many people were going to these shows just because of her.  Which is shame because in late August, she had to drop from the tour

“A message to her beloved collective.
It is with great devastation that she must announce her withdrawal from the upcoming PRESIDENT North American Campaign Trail.
She fought tooth and claw to make it so, but the divines were not in her favour.
It is not yet her time. She shall cross your lands when the hour is right.
Know that she is forlorn
With sorrow,
Cenobia“

Posted in Cenobia, Philadelphia, PA, President, Showing Teeth, Theatre of Living Arts | Leave a Comment »

The Belair Lip Bombs / Armlock (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, September 14, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 14, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 14, 2026] The Belair Lip Bombs / Armlock

I saw The Belair Lip Bombs at PhilaMOCA back in April.  I was really surprised when this show was announced so quickly.  I saw that it didn’t sell out right away so I kept it penciled in, thinking my wife and I might go see them. But it turns out she wasn’t as blown away by their stuff as I was and didn’t really care about going.

The Belair Lip Bombs are a young band from Victoria Australia.  They have been bubbling under around Philly with their insanely catchy song Hey You which was one of my favorite songs of the year so far.

When I did get around to seeing about tickets, it had already sold out.  But, oddly, when I looked this morning, there were tickets available.  But it was too late to make plans to see them.

Armlock is an Australian duo of Simon Lam and Hamish Mitchell.  Their bio says that they make experimental electronic seen through an indie rock lens, drawing the listener in close with crystal clear guitars, tight rhythms, warm harmonies, and sparse arrangements that leave room for character and eccentricities. The result is an album of inventively minimal music that does a lot with a little.

And that’s pretty accurate.  Their stuff is pretty spare–a single guitar line, electronic drums, a quiet melody.  I lie it but don’t kow if I’d like a whole show of it–maybe an opening set would be great. Continue Reading »

Posted in Armlock, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, The Belair Lip Bombs | Leave a Comment »

The Rasmus / Saint Agnes / Death Valley Dreams (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, September 14, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 14, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 14, 2026] The Rasmus / Saint Agnes / Death Valley Dreams

I had not heard of The Rasmus before this show was announced.  Indeed, the only reason I paid any attention to this listing is because my friend’s son plays bass in Death Valley Dreams.  He has been playing in bands for years and I have never had a chance to see him.  I did consider going to this show, but it just wouldn’t work out for me.

People seemed kind of excited about this show.  But as I thought, I didn’t know The Rasmus.  But in fact, I do!  They are a Finnish band that had a song in Eurovision in 2022.  Their latest album, Weirdo, had SIX singles released.  Which makes them more successful, or at least more prolific than Maneskin.  They play a kind of rock with pop sensibilities and goth vibes.  They also have some high-energy, feel-good moments.  They’re pretty enjoyable (if lyrically bland), and I’ll bet they’re even more fun live .

Saint Agnes is an English industrial rock band formed by singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Kitty A. Austen and guitarist Jon James Tufnell in 2014.  They play simple, catchy industrial songs.  They look pretty theatrical and seem like they’d be fun live, too.

So I’ve not heard much by Death Valley Dreams–they went media silent before releasing new stuff.  But I love how their website describes them: “It’s as if The Cars got David Bowie to sing and played something that could have been on The Lost Boys soundtrack.” The sound is familiar yet fresh and unique.  They are from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pennsylvania… “an area that was actually voted the least happy place to live in the continental United States…a place where writing music and being creative are the only real ways to stay sane.”  I’m led to understand that the singer is a great frontman.

Bummed I couldn’t make this show, now that I know I could have added to my Eurovision bands!

 

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Saint Agnes, The Rasmus, Underground Arts, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

Babymetal / Halestorm / Violent Vira (PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ, September 9, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 9, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 9, 2026] Babymetal / Halestorm / Violent Vira

My wife and I went to see Babymetal last year and really enjoyed it.  So much so that when I jokingly said we could go see them again this year–and at PNC in Holmdel, she was definitely interested, but probably not enough to go.  I had a ticket to see Aldous Harding that night, so I didn’t really look into the Babymetal show.  But as the day grew closer and I realized I didn’t want to see Aldous, I did consider this show.  But I wasn’t that excited by the opening acts–mostly because I thought I knew them, but actually didn’t.

In retrospect it was probably a pretty fun show.

When I saw that I probably could have gotten decent seats for a reasonable price, it did rekindle my interest.  But this time of year is always really busy for us.  So I didn’t end up getting a ticket at all.  I rather assumed it would be the same exact show, but I see that they mixed it up quite a lot.

I’ve known about Halestorm for awhile, although I thought they were Swedish.  Turns out they are from Red Lion, Pennsylvania, named for singer Lzzy Hale.  They remind me of metal bands from the 80s.  And it’s all high, powerful vocals–not lower register here–just soaring sounds.  Not really my thing, but they have great energy

Violent Vira is a Mexican-American singer and songwriter. She began releasing music independently in 2021.  She had a lovely singing voice which can tri into. a terrific scream–not guttural or cookie monster, but just a great angry scream. Okay, hearing another song, there is a cookie monster level, too!  I’m going to keep an eye out for her. Continue Reading »

Posted in Babymetal, Halestorm, Holmdel, NJ, PNC Bank Center, Violent Vira | Leave a Comment »

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