Phillyist Reviews... The Gaslight Anthem and Thrice

We are so dedicated to bringing you the most comprehensive music coverage that we possibly can, that, as you may have read here or here, we covered both Thursday's and Friday's shows at the Electric Factory. Both featured performances by The Gaslight Anthem, Thrice, Alkaline Trio and Rise Against. This review will cover the first two groups. The Gaslight Anthem played an express set that felt like it ended before it began. They had drive and moxy, but their sound was confusing. Sometimes they were an Alkaline Trio offshoot, and other times they had a decidedly more mainstream "classic" rock sound. Their singer belted out a Springsteen-esque growl on more than one occasion.

The bass playing was solid and reminiscent of the bass licks you might hear from the Smiths, but the predictably erratic tempo and time changes didn't let the bass take off like it may have otherwise. Overall, they played a good show, they just aren't this Phillyist's bag. It must be noted that they transfixed a crowd that often doesn't gather until the headliners go on, so maybe we're missing something.

Thrice (who we've covered before) played a fairly predictable list of fan favorites, material from their most recent release, The Alchemy Index, and a cover that blew us away.

Halfway through their set, they launched into an amazing cover of the Beatles' "Helter Skelter." They didn't do anything to "update" the song or make it more palatable to the hardcore kids—they just rocked it out the way it's supposed to be rocked out. The crowd went crazy for it.

Oh, and that reminds us. There was signage all over the venue stating that there was to be no moshing or crowd surfing. And we're pretty sure they actually expected people to heed the warnings. Luckily, the threat of removal from the premises (seriously!) was not enforced and the moshing and crowd surfing went on all night.

Thrice played flawlessly, as usual, and still give their old music the same intensity it had when they first recorded it. From epic lyrical masterpieces like "Staring at the Sun" (the highlight of the evening) to the more ethereal stuff from Index, Thrice always play like it's the last time anyone will give them a crowd. And that's what keeps people listening.

Image Credit: Flickr user Mike Babcock