First Unitarian Church, Oct. 2 - King Tuff (Preview)

Jumping from freak-folk outfit Feathers, to J Mascis side-project Witch, Kyle Thomas has been at refining his methods for some time.

But even before Feathers, Thomas penned his very early career as King Tuff, releasing hardly known CD-R's in the mid-2000s. Those DIY efforts, along with a ton of luck, eventually became Thomas' debut LP Was Dead in 2008.

What came from it was a shining example of garage punk mixed with Thomas' propensity for T. Rex-era glam rock. Not a posthumous anecdote for the lack of glam appeal today, rather, Was Dead melded Thomas' bubbling folk inspirations into a sugary portrayal of garage glory. The method climbed to a bigger realm last year with Thomas' self-titled release, showing his ability for bigger and more grand efforts. In between the album's charming, subdued takes, Thomas exposed his frenetic side with the likes of "Anthem" and "Bad Thing," two undeniable joy-rides that split between '70s nirvana and modern punk thrill.

Thomas' style should fit dubiously well alongside Jacuzzi Boys and Wavves, which will be headlining tonight's show at Philadelphia's First Unitarian Church. Tickets are still available here, courtesy of R5, beginning at 8 p.m.

Review: Iceage @ First Unitarian Church (Philadelphia, Apr. 19)

Photo by Oda Edjar Starheim

The ruminations of one of Philadelphia's most well put together punk shows had a risk. Heading the formative billing of White Lung, Night Birds, and METZ was Iceage, the youngest of the four bands with easily the most buzz surrounding them. And with that favor came the band's less-than proud reputation of its listless live shows, which, given their youth, was somewhat unsurprising.

Preceding Iceage were three groups with consummate energy. White Lung, starting relatively early, ripped through last year's Sorry LP as guests leaked out of the earlier church ceremonies upstairs. Given the band's relatively surging popularity and the fact that the Vancouver group boasted the only female acts of the entire night (a welcome sign in the least), it was somewhat surprising that local band Night Birds were set to play afterwards.

The New Jersey punk band housed some of the nights best energy, which coincidentally featured a fellow Rowan University friend on guitar (awesome). Their self-branded American stylized punk wasn't much of a separator in terms of individual vision, but the piece-by-piece energy output of the foursome was certainly adept for the basement.

Which led to Toronto trio METZ, which had arguably the most proud reputation of ecstatic live displays. Each of the three acts soundly followed the last, showing its own merits and setting themselves apart from one another, with METZ coming out arguably as the night's best. They didn't meander through in-between song discussions, suffered little to no technical setback, and confidently strode through as a band that profoundly knew had to make a name for themselves.

As side-ways rain began to fall outside, making the floors even slicker than before from beer and sweat, Iceage quickly topped off the night. Still the biggest name of the four, the crowd stayed packed, and was more than admiring. The Dutch foursome still had some issues outside of lead singer Elias Bender Rønnenfelt commanding his own spot, but a more than anxious crowd helped deter what could of otherwise been seen as a standard quick performance. Which proved, more than anything else, that crowd command matters more than young artists might realize.

First Unitarian Church, April 19 - Iceage (Preview)

Culminating an impossibly stellar lineup of garage punk up-and-comers Night Birds, White Lung, and METZ, is frequent buzzing Dutch four-piece Iceage tonight at Philadelphia's First Unitarian Church. The outstanding youth of the group is still well known, despite crossing over on the U.S. scene roughly two years ago. Still, the power and brevity of the band's most recent LP You're Nothing on a jump to Matador makes Iceage leading the other bands almost unquestionable.

The Copenhagen band, led by workaholic at-heart Elias Bender Rønnenfelt (who's still churning out stuff as part of Marching Church and Vår), feeds on torrid momentum on You're Nothing, taking the exhausted jubilant nature of New Brigade without relinquishing the - as Anthony Fantano says it best - "chaotic apathy." The sounded is refined - something fairly improbable for any version of punk - but patterns and melodies don't just seem thrown in from varying minds of the band, rather, sticking as a whole scheme.

Whether or not that tooling of the technique means anything for the band's live persona should hold high, given the years of touring and the vigorous attitude the band has towards moving forward. It has to, regardless, because a lineup featuring White Lung and METZ will have plenty craving for a righteous finale.

Tickets for the show are still available, with doors opening at 7 p.m. and beginning at 7:30.

Wednesday Bears: New Fucked Up - Queen of Hearts

Little by little, pieces of Fucked Up's anticipated rock opera David Comes to Life have been slowly released over the past few weeks. Today, the group released the album's fourth of four singles "Queen of Hearts," before the album's official release June 7. However, Matador "Buy Early Get Now" customers can download the album in four parts starting May 10.

The band also released their upcoming tour schedule, with a June 26 stop in Philadelphia at the First Unitarian Church. Get there, or check the remainder of the tour here.

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