Photo by DYLAN LONG The Decibel Magazine Tour made its Philadelphia stop this past Saturday at a packed-to-the-brim Union Transfer, as hardcore and metal fans flocked from far and wide to experience the likes of Vallenfyre, Pallbearer, Converge, and At The Gates. Each band brought a unique sound to the table, all while sharing the communal staples of headbang-inducing riffs and sympathy for the devil. Salem, Mass. hardcore heads Converge exploded onto the stage as openers for At The Gates, but it’s fair game to say that these guys stole the show. Vocalist Jacob Bannon spent the set in a […]

Photo by DAN LONG I don’t have many vices anymore, but catching the first night of a highly anticipated tour is an addiction — especially this night. Dorset, England’s Electric Wizard is the epitome of doom. It’s not just the satanic guitar licks and the subterranean rumble of the bass, it’s also the dreadful lyrics, wherein the band revels in the occult, horror, drugs and death — all appealing things to a sick girl like me. To see this band live is a fuckin’ treat to say the very least. Their stateside live appearances are highly infrequent, which makes it […]

Photo by DYLAN LONG Philadelphia’s The War on Drugs cast a spell over the capacity crowd at the Tower Theater Friday night with their celebrated brand of ethereal guitar rock. Their first song of the night, the gloriously woozy “Under Pressure,” is also the lead-off track of their highly-acclaimed 2014 LP Lost In A Dream, which was fitting considering that the runaway success of that album was the reason they were playing the Tower instead of Johnny Brenda’s. Granduciel’s Dylanesque vocals and wobbling tremolo-ed guitar echoed off the walls and the tall, broad ceiling of the Tower, creating a lush […]

Photo by DYLAN LONG Last night, Meek Mill, one of the most opulent and admired self-made rappers to emerge from the 215, brought the roof down at Wells Fargo Center. To be fair, he had some help: namely the likes of French Montana, Rick Ross and P Diddy. From the second Mill’s rise-to-fame introductory video played across a massive LED backdrop, his intense presence and persona threw the sold-out arena into a trapped out frenzy. His massive Philadelphia fan base came out in full force, rapping along at the top of their lungs to every single track he played out. […]

Photo by DYLAN LONG To say that last night’s sold out performance at the Electric Factory by Irish pop sensation Andrew Hozier-Byrne — known simply as Hozier — was “highly anticipated” by most, if not all, babysitter-aged young ladies in the Tri-State area is an understatement on par with “invading Iraq might have been a bad idea” or “Dallas Cowboys fans are assholes.” Last night, Hozier’s tight brogue and loose man-bun had teenage girls in the front row squealing and swooning as he effortlessly cruised through his set like it was a 90-minute victory lap, taking time between nearly every […]

Photo by PETE TROSHAK Twenty-two years after the release of her most famous work — 1993’s Become What You Are, — Juliana Hatfield and a reunited Juliana Hatfield Three are out on the road to celebrate that classic album and the recent release of their second album as a trio, the excellent Whatever My Love. Hatfield along with drummer Todd Phillips and bass player Dean Fisher blazed through Become What You Are beginning to end along with a few new songs and a surprise cover to the delight of a packed house at the first of two sold-out nights at […]

Photo by PETE TROSHAK Last nght, Sleater-Kinney — not seen in these parts since July 31st, 2006 — staged a triumphant return to Philadelphia with a way-sold out show at Union Transfer in support of their wonderful new album, No Cities to Love. Minneapolis hip hop artist Lizzo jolted the crowd awake during a lengthy opening set, at one point throwing bags of cookies out in the crowd while performing her song “Batches and Cookies.” Sleater-Kinney hit the stage shortly after 10pm, opening with raucous renditions of “Price Tag” and “Fangless”, the two opening tracks off of No Cities to […]

Photo by DYLAN LONG Hometown heroes DeQuincy Coleman McRae (Moosh, right) and Oliver Feighan (Twist, left) have gone from local rappers/Friends Select alums to globe-trotting recording artists who collaborate with the likes of Hoodie Allen. Friday night at the TLA kicked off with South-Philly up-and-comer Major Van Winkle and the Philly-bred live hip-hop act Ground Up, who recently sold out the Union Transfer with their vibrant-yet-dirty bars & heavy hitting drums. At half past 10, OCD: Moosh & Twist took the stage and unleashed their heavy and intricate bars, mixing in oldies — “Hold It Down,” “Take Me Back” and […]

Photo by MARY LYNN DOMGINUEZ Tuesday night at Union Transfer, concertgoers in tacky plastic sunglasses and obnoxiously puffy fur coats awaited sunny pop salvation from their favorite wacky-rock idol. Though temperatures were below freezing outside, there was a hellish rise in temperature, glitter and lipstick graffiti when Ariel Pink and his ragtag five-piece band of sinners took the stage. You never quite know what you are going to get at an Ariel Pink concert. Typical sour antics at Ariel Pink concerts include: moody mid-show breakdowns, lost heads, and merciless 300-year sentences to the deepest, darkest dungeons doled out to naysayers […]

Photo by RORY MCGLASSON Last night, Jason Isbell and his band The 400 Unit were a long way from the torrid climes of their home base of Muscle Shoals — about 50 degrees and a thousand miles, to be exact — inside the Keswick they made themselves right at home and turned up the heat but quick. Most of the sold-out crowd arrived early, and were rewarded for doing so by opening act, Damien Jurado. The Seattle-based indie singer-songwriter warmed the crowd with a tight acoustic set of intense and beautiful songs from his rich catalog. Isbell opened the night […]

Photo by DYLAN LONG The “Strip to This” Winter 2015 Tour stopped by the Troc last night for a night full of grooviness and vibes, hosted by the catchy electro-bro duo Cherub. The combination of their irresistible, hook-filled, but empty calorie electro-pop paired with the zero fucks they gave culminated in a night of sweat, smiles and dancing. Lots and lots of dancing. After an intriguing set by opener Mystery Skulls, a one-man-band from LA that traffics in live vocals/turntablist hybrids, Cherub took the stage and dove straight into a super-groovy and incredibly energetic set. Jason Huber, Cherub’s frontman, spent […]

Photo by DYLAN LONG Last night, fresh off of their incredibly successful support slot for The 1975’s North American tour, hometown hero indie-popsters CRUISR rocked a sold-out throwdown at The Barbary along with the likes of Cold Fronts & Needle Points. The Barbary is a small joint with a big sound system, and the openers wasted no time setting an upbeat vibe for the night with loud melodies and catchy breakdowns. CRUISR took the stage at 9pm and took their sweet time working through a setlist that hovered around a mere eight or nine songs. Lush guitar riffs swept over […]