Across the Ist-a-Verse
Last Thursday's concert featured three indie-rock bands: The Photo Atlas, The Cinematics and The Bravery With each consecutive band, the music and performance got significantly better. At first I didn't know if we were going to get in since The Photo Atlas' list wasn't in the box office. As I patiently waited, I had to opportunity to meet the Phillyist reader who won the concert giveaway. (She was waiting patiently to pick up her tickets as well.) As soon as we heard The Photo Atlas playing, they quickly ushered us into the door.
The Photo Atlas quickly started the night off with their songs off their debut album, Photo Atlas. Their sound is a bit harder than my liking, but nevertheless, they put out a pretty good show. They were definitely energetic and rocking out. The lead singer was sweating more than a normal person should sweat. They are from Denver so maybe they aren't used to the humidity. (I can definitely relate to the unexpected occurrence of sweating.) The vocal range was quite limited, which ended up really affecting their overall sound. By the end, their songs were indistinguishable and a bit boring.
Hailing from Glasgow, Scotland, The Cinematics definitely started the night strong with their catchy upbeat songs from their newly released record, A Strange Education. I absolutely love that their singable melodies are also memorable, something Photo Atlas completely missed. Their set screeched to a halt when the lead singer's guitar amp stopped working. As the audience waited patiently for their return, we listened to the banter of the guitarist, though I couldn't really understand him because of his thick Scottish accent. Their set ended up short and sweet, but still good. I'll definitely be following this band in the future.
Take the jump to read on about The Bravery...
Finally, The Bravery came on and started their set with the powerhouse song from their first album, "Fearless." Sam Endicott's vocals were strong throughout the night. Instantly there was energy in the room; the crowd was pumped. Since releasing the sophomore disc, The Sun and The Moon, earlier this month The Bravery has been performing their catchy indie-rock songs across northern America. From Tucson and Vegas to Toronto and Detroit, the quintet has been playing to sold-out venues with screaming fans. Thursday night at the Fillmore was no different.
Michael Zakarin, the guitarist, let us ask him a few questions as the band traveled by train down from New York City before the concert. The band has been polishing their new music since the last time they were in Philly, five to six months ago. "We introduced a few new songs the last time we played in Philly but now we have really polished them up since then." By now they should be polished and let me tell you, they were. Their songs rocked.
The vocals were dead on. Endicott's voice was fantastic and the back-up vocals were even better. It truly showed that The Bravery is up for the challenge of being one of the best indie-rock bands out there. "This record has been a bit more challenging for us to perform. It has a lot more back-up vocals. Everyone had to learn how to sing for this record. It's been fun though; there is definitely more camaraderie on stage now."
The band is off to Europe this summer playing in the U.K as well as playing a couple of big festivals in Germany. "You will have thousands of kids come to your show - probably a lot of people that wouldn't have come to your private show. It's a completely different experience than the U.S.; there are not a lot of festivals here. We will be able to see a bunch of bands that we played on the touring circuit a couple of years ago. We're definitely looking forward to it." With confetti galore, crazy clowns and screaming fans The Bravery were their to entertain and they did a damn good job of it.
The set list:
Fearless
Out of Line
Believe
Public Service Announcement
This is Not the End...
Tyrant
Swollen
The Dandy "Rock"
Time
An Honest Mistake (Long version)
Every Word is a Knife to My Ear
Above & Below
Bad Sun (Fast)
Unconditional
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Split Me Wide Open
No Brakes
All photos taken by author
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