So
I like to visit Philly… a
lot. It’s a quicker drive for me
than going to New York, and a lot less hassle. Plus there’s a crazy amount of good bands, good venues, good
eats, and good people comparable to my home states largest city. Philly is still a big city, but it has
a small town feel because everyone knows everyone else, the bands work jobs for
other band people at small punk-run businesses, and they all take turns calling
in so they can go on tour. It’s
the type of place I like. But that
toll on the Turnpike is getting a little out of hand, so can you
Pennsyltuckians do something about that?
This
particular trip was both long-planned and short notice. The date was announced a couple months
back, but my natural trepidation of travelling anywhere outside my neighborhood
in late February was warranted, seeing as that is typically the time that
blinding snowstorms blitzkrieg the Northeast and it is not uncommon to be under
a two-foot thick blanket of crusty white snow. I wanted to go, but wasn’t sure if I (or my car) could hack
it.
Fortunately,
the noise rock gods granted safe passage as it was a balmy 50 degrees (yeah,
that’s very warm for this time of year) on this pleasant Saturday. I coasted into town with time to spare
so I got some pizza with a moderately drunk friend and then shagged ass over to
Kung Fu Necktie to get my ears sandblasted off.
I
dig this venue. It’s a pretty
small spot, packed pretty tight, and the stage is small. So imagine my excitement knowing I’d be
spitting distance from seeing two of my favorite noisemongering riff monsters
trading riffs together on that tiny-ass stage in a couple short hours.
Humanshapes
got on first. I had checked their
music out online ahead of time and was sufficiently satisfied with their weird
and scrappy noisenik leanings.
Bizarre, ugly, occasionally heavy would best describe the offering. Yet seeing them live was a different
story. The loud was louder, the
heavy heavier, the sense of panicked dread and cold sweats coming through their
frayed guitars washing over those in attendance. Needless to say, I was quite impressed. After their frontman made a mess of
knocking over the mic stand and being sucked into the audience they wrapped up
their brief stint and made way for what was next.
The
homies in Grizzlor stepped up with a new bassist and a beefier sound
overall. For a band steeped in
squalling noise, manic vocalizations that sound like they emerge from a
cavernous panic room, and a sound so sludgy the La Brea tar pits called up to admit
that they were jealous the three bearded gents in Grizzlor have their sound
down incredibly tight. The chaos
is controlled, the songs are short, and the riffs are mighty. Simply put, after their set all clean
shaven, and otherwise hairless attendees, were now sporting full beards.
Ok,
so UXO got up. I realize the idea
of a ‘supergroup’ is often disappointing when put into practice. But there’s really no way that pairing
Chris Spencer from Unsane and Steve Austin from Today Is the Day could result in
anything bad. Both bands have
created some of the meanest, most spiteful, and harrowing music I’ve ever heard
and their styles of playing complement one another extremely well. But both guitarists got up there and
did what they do so well, backed by a terrific rhythm section. Though this was only the band’s second
show they sounded like they all had been playing together for years. It was truly a treat to witness, a
special event that could potentially just do the one album, play a few shows,
and then call it a day. Still,
they played through their whole album, as well as two songs not on the record,
which makes me hope that there could be more in store in the future.
Fight
Amp closed things out and it’s very nice to see them getting a great deal of
love from their home, which they have been crushing for over a decade. They were the only band I actively
witnessed people losing their collective shit to and created quite the ruckus. I’ve seen Fight Amp a bunch of times
and they never fail to excel at abrasiveness. For their set I hung back and took it all in from a vantage
point where my ears would no longer be subject to deafening distortion, as the
rest of the night I’d been pretty much standing directly in front of
amplifiers.
Generally,
after a show like this I’m worn down by ringing ears from standing too close to
the stage and a hoarse throat from trying to hold conversations between
bands. But somehow I walked out of
the show completely at ease with the world, and beaming at the sonic beating I
just took. And I was basically
ready to do it all again.
