The Paper Kites @ World Cafe Live - Philadelphia
November 3rd 2023: The Paper Kites @ World Cafe Live - Philadelphia, PA
Christina Lacy of The Paper Kites - Photos Courtesy of Carolyn Lederach
Australia’s The Paper Kites continued their roadhouse band tour through the states, stopping at Philadelphia’s World Cafe Live on November 3rd. This was my second time catching the band, but my first time as a full 8-piece. I have to say the set was flawless and amazing. The band split their set a bit, playing the first half as a more chill, stripped-back, and sit-down set. All accumulated into the set's second half, which was plugged in and rock.
The Paper Kites’ latest album, At The Roadhouse, has easily become one of my favorite albums of this year, and quite possibly my new favorite Paper Kites album. There’s something utterly soothing and captivating about this album and a rare one you can sit and listen to the whole way through without wanting to skip any tracks. Seeing it live, and with the full roadhouse band, it was truly something amazing. Lead vocalist Sam Bentley touched on the making of At The Roadhouse, which was also something unique. The band curated their own bar to play the tracks from this latest album and it was open to anyone to stop by and listen whenever they were playing. Those songs were perfected over time and turned into this latest album which we can now all cherish forever.
The Japanese House @ Union Transfer - Philadelphia
November 1st 2023: The Japanese House, Quinnie @ Union Transfer - Philadelphia, PA
Amber Bain of The Japanese House - Photos Courtesy of Carolyn Lederach
Amber Bain, otherwise known as The Japanese House, kicked off her first US tour in almost four years at Philadelphia’s Union Transfer. Amber and the band played to a packed house of very eager fans who have been anxiously awaiting Japanese House's return to the stage. This latest tour is in support of The Japanese House's latest album (and one of my personal favorites of this year) In The End It Always Does, Bain’s first album since 2019.
The set was everything we wanted, including the latest tracks off the newest album, and all the bops we’ve come to love from Bain over the years. Included in the flawless set was a touching dedication of “One for sorrow, two for Joni Jones”, for her dog who was sitting back in the greenroom during the set.
Setlist
Sad to Breathe
Touching Yourself
Something Has to Change
Morning Pages
Follow My Girl
Saw You in a Dream
Boyhood
You Seemed So Happy
Baby goes again
Over There
Friends
Worms
Chewing Cotton Wool
Maybe You're the Reason
Dionne
Encore:
One for sorrow, two for Joni Jones
Sunshine Baby
Quinnie
G Flip @ El Rey Theatre - Los Angeles
November 3rd, 2023: G Flip, Miki Ratsula @ El Rey Theatre - Los Angeles, CA
G Flip - Photos Courtesy of: Natalie Ryan
G Flip closed out their first US headline DRUMMER tour with a bang at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles on November 3rd. The show was added after selling out the original last date of the tour on October 27th. Miki Ratsula opened with an upbeat and emotional performance.
G grew up playing drums and was a session drummer before they became the multi-hyphenate performer they are today. In G Flip’s music, it’s clear that the drums are important and the focus on them during the live show is one of the many things that makes it feel so special. Even more so, the drums are all of the band members' first instruments. During Rough, G's three-piece band joins them playing the drums, making a powerful sound and visual.
They played 8 songs from this year's album DRUMMER, for which they have received several ARIA nominations, including album of the year and best live act. Lauren Sanderson also joined G Flip for GAY 4 ME, their single together, which the crowd went wild for. During the song, G added some of Pony by Ginuwine, a delightful surprise.
G Flip will continue the DRUMMER tour in London starting January 24th.
Miki Ratsula
Reneé Rapp @ The Fillmore - Philadelphia
October 24th 2023: Renee Rapp, Alexander 23, Towa Bird @ The Fillmore - Philadelphia, PA
Reneé Rapp - Photos Courtesy of Carolyn Lederach
Reneé Rapp continued her debut tour through Philadelphia’s The Fillmore on October 24th, performing to a sold-out crowd. In support of her incredible debut album Snow Angel, it was also fitting to have a co-writer and producer of the album, Alexander 23 opening the show (along with the equally incredible Towa Bird). Rapp ran through the entirety of her album (broken up by season), giving a positively flawless and fun show. For this being her first tour, you really couldn’t tell. She came out commanding the stage and really forming a great rapport with her fans.
The special touch to this show for me was also having Alexander 23 open the show. On top of having his own catalog of bops, he’s also contributed to a lot of other great albums over the last few years (like Olivia Rodrigo, mxmtoon, Tate McRae to name a few)
Setlist
Talk Too Much
Poison Poison
Willow
Bruises
Colorado
Pretty Girls
23
Tummy Hurts (with Towa Bird)
I Hate Boston
So What Now
Tattoos
Too Well
Gemini Moon
The Wedding Song
I Wish (with Alexander 23)
In the Kitchen
Encore:
Snow Angel
Alexander23
Towa Bird
Chappell Roan @ Revolution Live - Fort Lauderdale
October 26th, 2023: Chappell Roan @ Revolution Live - Fort Lauderdale, FL
Chappell Roan - Photos Courtesy of: Junette Reyes
The Midwest Princess herself, Chappell Roan, found herself deep in Florida surrounded by an ecstatic and loving crowd at Revolution Live, Fort Lauderdale on Thursday, Oct. 26.
With Halloween just around the corner, the audience was dressed to the nines in red and black styles inspired by the city’s tour theme of “My Kink is Karma.”
The night began with a celebration of LGBTQ+ culture as two local drag queens, Suzie Toot, and Kat Wilderness, energized the crowd – a tradition Roan has kept up to highlight artists in each tour stop. Both stunning performers brought the packed house down and established an ongoing theme of acceptance as Wilderness, a trans woman, proudly held up a trans flag toward the end of her act. The duo also crowned one lucky audience member – the wearer of a golden wristband assigned earlier in the night – Miss Fort Lauderdale.
The time finally arrived for Roan and her three-piece band to take the stage, kicking off a set supporting her 2023 debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. Highlights included the performance of her August single HOT TO GO!, during which the crowd excitedly mirrored the fun YMCA-reminiscent choreography back to Roan.
Roan will be opening on select dates of Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS tour next year, so make sure to catch the soulful songstress as her star continues to rise.
Emo Orchestra @ The Louisvile Palace - Louisville
October 24th, 2023: Emo Orchestra @ The Louisville Palace - Louisville, KY
Emo Orchestra - Photos Courtesy of Emily May
For the Inaugural Emo Orchestra, special guests Hawthorne Heights brought this experience to Louisville recently to a modest but passionate crowd! It’s such a unique experience for those of us who grew up loving emo bands and songs to hear some of our favorites with the backing of a live orchestra in a gorgeous theater setting. Many of the fans had their kids with them, introducing them to much of the emo music they loved growing up. Singer JT Woodruff was all smiles as the performance started, chatting with the crowd before every song to give them the story of what he and his bandmates were going through at the time or their relationship with the band they were covering. Nostalgia can be such a wonderful feeling, with this evening leading many in attendance to re-live their younger days through the music performed. Woodruff said early on that he wanted to try to remind everyone of a time when life was simpler and when we all sat in our rooms and listened to music. He also joked about how performing in a nice, seated, air-conditioned venue was their way of apologizing to their fans for the days when they would have to see Hawthorne Heights in hundred-degree weather at Warped Tour!
Woodruff stated at the start of the set how excited the band was for this evening. He told the crowd how for years the band performed and would stand back at the merch table, listening to their fans tell him about how much their music or other band’s music meant to them. He got to hear what many emo bands and their music meant to the fans, but how this evening (and on the tour in general) we would all get to hear about what these bands and songs mean to him and his band. We would hear about these songs from their perspective. He announced that he and his band had picked a set list where everyone could scream as loud as they could! While Hawthorne Heights performed a few of their songs throughout the evening, such as “Niki FM”, “The Storm”, "Decembers”, and their smash hit “Ohio Is For Lovers”, which they ended the set with, they had a really fun mix of emo songs from a variety of popular bands. Woodruff laughed on a few occasions before a song, stating how the band in question would probably be upset being referred to as an Emo band, or have their song referred to as an emo song, but how just for this evening it would be considered emo!
Starting off the covers with Yellowcard’s “Ocean Avenue”, they got the crowd singing their hearts out in no time. Woodruff is a great storyteller. Before launching into “Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down” by Fall Out Boy, he told the story of performing with them very early on in a comic book store in Dayton, OH, and how they later got offered to go on tour with Fall Out Boy when they got big. He talked about how when you are in a band, you sometimes start to forget why you do it and stop listening to music as a fan, later realizing that you write and perform music because you love it. They then went on to perform “The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World”, “Make Damn Sure” by Taking Back Sunday”, and “I Will Follow You Into The Dark” by Death Cab For Cutie. Woodruff told the crowd how the first out-of-town show the band was ever offered was in Louisville and how they spent a lot of time here as a band, being so close to Dayton, and having fond memories of the city. This evening had a short intermission, with the band finishing the pre-intermission set with “Until The Day I Die” by Story of The Year.
As the second half of the performance began, the band sat this one out as the orchestra performed a great, instrumental rendition of “Welcome To The Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance. The screen showed the lyrics to the song, with the crowd being the band for this one and singing along at full volume! The second half of the set included some bangers- “Adam’s Song” by Blink 182, “The Taste of Ink” by The Used, “Misery Business” by Paramore, “Miss Murder” by AFI, and “Hey There Delilah”, by Plain White T’s. Woodruff told the crowd near the end of the set how they always like to do a roll call, announcing the folks on stage and off, who had a part in making the tour happen. Emo Orchestra is such a fun concept and it was obvious that everyone in attendance had a great time singing their way down memory lane! I look forward to seeing how this concept evolves for future tours!
YONAKA @ Brooklyn Bowl - Philadelphia
October 16th 2023: YONAKA, Barns Courtney, James Bruner @ The Fillmore - Philadelphia, PA
YONAKA - Photos Courtesy of Carolyn Lederach
UK’s YONAKA kicked off their first US tour opening for Barns Courtney in Philadelphia on October 16th. I’ve been following YONAKA for a while, so I was super excited for the chance to catch them live finally. I can certainly say that they lived up to the hype. The band recently released their latest album, Welcome to My House. Offering fans more of their heavy-hitting, female-fronted rock power tunes. My only complaint is that the set wasn’t longer to capture more of the band’s infectious live energy.
Barns Courtney
James Bruner
Ethel Cain @ Castro Theater - San Francisco
October 23rd, 2023: Ethel Cain @ Castro Theater - San Francisco, CA
Ethel Cain - Photos Courtesy of: Sabrina Poei
The iconic Castro Theater in San Francisco was set with raw energy as Ethel Cain took the stage for a captivating performance that will surely be etched in the memories of all those lucky enough to attend. The atmosphere in the theater was charged with anticipation, and Ethel Cain did not disappoint, delivering a show that was nothing short of mesmerizing.
As the lights dimmed, a palpable sense of excitement filled the air. The stage was bathed in soft, ethereal lighting, setting the mood for what was to come. Ethel Cain made an understated but grand entrance, clad in a white lace and pearl dress that contrasted the blend of avant-garde and vulnerability that defines her music. The visuals were a perfect compliment to Cain's ethereal and moody sound. A mesmerizing interplay of colors and shadows enhanced the emotional impact of each song, making for a truly immersive experience.
The performance began with the haunting opening notes of "Strangers," an emotional track that instantly connected with the audience. The intimacy of the venue allowed for those in the front row to get up close & personal during “A House in Nebraska” and “American Teenager.” Ethel Cain's voice, at times soft and fragile, and at other times, soaring and powerful, resonated throughout the theater, captivating the crowd. Her ability to weave a narrative through her music was nothing short of extraordinary. Each song told a story, often drawing from her personal experiences. During "Gibson Girl," a deeply emotional and introspective song, she crouched down and sat on the edge of the stage grabbed the hand of an audience member, and sang, making it one of the standout moments of the evening. Her vulnerability on stage was genuine, and it was clear that she was sharing a piece of herself with everyone in attendance.
The evening came to an end with a performance of "Crush," a poignant and powerful song that left the audience in awe and fans erupted in applause as she took her final bow, visibly touched by the warmth and energy of San Francisco. It was a night filled with haunting melodies, introspective lyrics, and a powerful sense of shared emotion. After a long year of touring filled with firsts, like playing Coachella, Ethel’s final performance of the tour at Castro Theater was an extraordinary and emotionally charged experience.
