There’s a funny picture online of Ty Segall gently holding up a cat while giving the camera a boyish smile in a room of soft orange light with a unicorn tapestry hanging on the wall. On Sunday evening at the Trocadero, we got to see this tender side of the man behind the music as […]
Last Friday, local Philadelphia rock band RFA hosted a record release show for their new album, Rfa. The four band members that make up RFA met in high school over a shared love of artists like Elvis, The Rolling Stones, and The Strokes. Flash forward six years, and the group is starting to sell out […]
In an age when artists rely more heavily on touring as a means of financial support, sometimes live performances are about audience engagement just as much as they are about the music itself. Sometimes it takes the form of a rock star jumping into the crowd, a pop star professing a speech of love for […]
Old Maybe opened the night with a frantic, off-kilter set of rhythm-based songs, each no more than two minutes. They were hard to follow between their sharp twists and turns in tempo, and often confrontational vocals. Nina Ryser’s drums were unpredictable, making huge use of the relatively small space. It’s not hard to see the […]
On February 15th, Tyler the Creator brought the Flower Boy Tour to a packed Liacouras Center, with opener Vince Staples. In between his set, which included fan favorites “IFHY,” “Who Dat Boy,” and “See You Again,” he told the story of his Philly native manager celebrating the Eagles win, and responded to the crowd’s cries […]
On Sunday night, the line to enter Philadelphia’s First Unitarian Church stretched around the block. However, this was no midnight service. Instead of leading inside the building, the line wound underground like a trail of ants following the irresistible promise of HOMESHAKE, the Canadian indie group led by Peter Sagar. During the opening act’s casual […]
Running late from the rain, I slipped into a side door of the main room at Union Transfer, and huddled into a spot near the front right of the stage. Raincoats were draped over the guard rails and balcony as people shed their layers to sway to the alternative folk of London-based Girl Ray. The […]
Last Thursday night, February 15th, I dropped my statistics homework and went to an essentially un-underground rave at the Electric Factory. Camera in hand, I walked from the Septa stop at 8th and Market, through the rain into North Philly, and waited at will call for my tickets. People were filing into the already rattling […]
ZZ Ward’s “The Storm” tour made its way to Philadelphia’s Theater of the Living Arts this past Tuesday with openers Billy Raffoul and Black Pistol Fire. The singer’s sultry, soulful voice captivated the crowd and not a single patron left without wanting to hear more. Playing fan favorites “Put the Gun Down” off her first […]
Coming to the Electric Factory on February 15th is a unique techno-bass group from Belgium: Ganja White Night. Comprised of Benjamin “Bamby” Bayeul and Charlie “Erwan” Dodson, the duo is on a United States tour promoting their latest 2018 release, The Origins, an album as eclectic as their name. They self-describe their sound as Wobble music […]
