Here we go again. I’ve now been to about half of my pre-Covid Philly clubs. The latest was Underground Arts, that down-in-the-basement club that has the feel of a frat house. I was there to see the punk band Bully, and it was great to be back. I’ve seen a number of memorable shows at UA, including some of my favorite bands: Marah, the Weeks, the Strypes, the English Beat, Protomartyr, Stiff Little Fingers. It felt comforting to be back within friendly confines with many great memories. But it’s amazing what an absence will do to the old memory hole. For instance, I knew that UA had big concrete support pillars in the space, but I had forgotten just how big they are. And while I remembered the smallish stage, I had not recalled how the stage is hemmed in by the concrete pillars. If you’re in that front space, you are golden, but there are limited sight lines if you venture too far back. Hence, I never venture too far back. In fact, I can remember being right up front for Still Little Fingers and pumping my arm along with everyone else in the space while they just killed Suspect Device. My memory makes it seem like a much bigger crowd than my reality now understands that it was not that big. One of the things I really like about UA is that they get great bands. I don’t know who their booking agent is, but I’m telling you, they bring in some of the best talent. And they remember you. Prior to the idiotic lockdowns, I had been going to a bunch of shows there, and then one night I show up to see the Strypes. They go “hey, you come here a lot, here are some free tickets to another show.” I thought it would be some crap event featuring a band that everyone hated, but no, it was for Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul. You know, the kick ass blues-based band headed by Stevie Van Zandt of E Street Band and Sopranos fame. It was a “Norm!” moment for me, and like Norm, I liked it. Back to the present. I have liked Bully since they first came on the scene, and I’ve been itching to see them. But first, we had to check out two warm up bands. Now, I had been to see Low Cut Connie the night before, and wasn’t looking to stay up all night, so I wasn’t too thrilled about having to listen to two openers. However, as is often the case in such a situation, the two openers were worth it, particularly the second act, the Graham Hunt Band. Ryan and I liked every single one of the songs they played in their 30 minute set – not a bad tune in the bunch. Graham himself looks and dresses like a guy who could have sold Craftsman tools at Sears in the 60s, but so what? Better than some smelly hippie, right? Here are a few pics: Anyway, I was psyched that I had discovered a new band. In fact, I wrote down their name and put them on the Spotify for the drive home. And then, a WTF moment. Graham may have a good vibe when playing live, but the recorded stuff was over-produced spam that didn’t come close to matching their live performance. What am I supposed to do with that? Well, for loyal BRP readers, my recommendation is go see them live if you get the chance, but otherwise, skip ‘em. It’s not like my Houston find of the band Sloane, who are really good both live and on record. Back to Bully. Well, not quite yet. Let me describe the crowd. Lots of tattoos, and lots of lesbians. Hmmm, that’s interesting. It wasn’t all lesbians, but it was noticeable, and while there is nothing wrong with that, it made me think I was missing something about the band. Oh, and one more thing about the crowd: pretty heavy drinking for a Sunday night. At least that’s what I thought until Ryan pointed out that a bunch of the cans they were pounding down were actually some kind of water that is packaged to look like beer. That made me chuckle. I don’t drink anymore, but I used to seriously pound. I don’t really care what people think of me when they see me getting a Diet Coke at a show. To each his own, right? I mean, when I was drinking, I used to like people who didn’t want to drink. My mind thought “cool, more for me,” not “you’re so uncool.” Hahaha, what a world! Bully. That’s the reason I was in UA checking out these other bands, scoping the venue and examining the lesbian drink of choice. Bully is a Nashville based punk band that is fronted by Alicia Bognanno. They have a new album out which sports a number of solid tracks. I had been listening to it while driving back and forth to work (yup, I’m in my office a lot now you lazy sods), and there was one song that I kept putting on repeat. So Bully comes out, plugs in, and kicks into Where to Start (my song of choice) and we were off and running. Give it a listen: Great way to start a show, right? And they didn’t let up the whole night. They tore through about 5 or 6 tracks before saying “hi Philly.” [Quick sidebar on that. How come every band says “how are you doing Philly” or DC or wherever you are seeing the show. My name isn’t Philly, and I oftentimes see shows when I’m out of my hometown. Isn’t it kind of a weird thing? Why not just say “how ya’ll doing tonight?” Or “what brings you to Philly tonight?” You know what I mean? Or am I just a jerk on this point?] Bully goes through a hard and fast-paced show, plays all of their best songs, and then comes out and does a cover as an encore. Apparently, it’s their trademark way to end a show. I kind of like it. Longtime readers of BRP know that I think the encore is a tired rock tradition, but if you feel the need to engage in the tradition, doing a different cover every night is kind of different and cool. This night, it was some goofy pop song that I can’t remember, and they did a fun and credible job with a song that they were a little embarrassed to play. One thing for sure: it wasn't this track, which just rips. I came away thinking it was a really good show. I said that to Ryan, who came back with a less-than-enthusiastic response. I was intrigued, and he said that after seeing the show, he didn’t care that much for their tunes. I know what he means – I saw The Wonder Years in Houston, and I liked them better before I saw them live. It wasn’t that the show was bad or a misrepresentation of their body of work. It was more of the realization that all of their songs were a bit too formulaic for me, and that most of them sounded like versions on the exact same theme. In other words, they all sounded alike. Unfortunately, that, too, is a long-time rock tradition. Remember the Romantics? Red leather suits and new-wavish pop tunes with edge? I saw them at the Disco Depot in Radford, VA, and they played their two biggest hits back-to-back. What I Like About You and When I Look In Your Eyes. Both are great songs, but after hearing them played one right after the other, my buddy and I said that it was the exact same song with different lyrics. Here they are – you decide: I found the Bully show to be highly satisfying and a good way to finish a great weekend of live music. It was fun to be back in UA, and to recognize that it survived the horrendous lockdowns. It was fun to see a crowd of people that I don’t usually hang out with (and I hope they felt the same about seeing my buttoned-down ass at their show). And it was good to be back in the groove of feeling tired but satisfied after two nights and five bands. I’m back in the saddle. Do you think Alicia could benefit from the purchase of a hairbrush? Yeah, I thought so, too. I found the Bully show to be highly satisfying and a good way to finish a great weekend of live music. It was fun to be back in UA, and to recognize that it survived the idiotic lockdowns. It was fun to see a crowd of people that I don’t usually hang out with (and I hope they felt the same about seeing my buttoned-down ass at their show). And it was good to be back in the groove of feeling tired but satisfied after two nights and five bands. I’m back in the saddle. Until next time, you keep your thoughts swirling around “what will BRP bring next?” Because you never know. And I have some good stuff – a few more shows, a BRP goes to a high society function review, and just some fun in a world that hasn’t been a lot of fun lately. Ready, steady, go – check back often.
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AuthorMy name is Bill, and I live in the greater Philadelphia area. I love music, and I have a lot of opinions. This site is primarily focused on music, but sometimes I get off track. I hope you enjoy. Archives
November 2020
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