Show Report: Fight Amp @ KFN – 06/19/15

Overall, this night was incredible! The line up of Bubonic Bear, Psychic Teens, KEN mode and Fight Amp was so solid and is one I personally will never forget! Not only did each band completely fucking rule but the fact that I caught both KEN mode releasing “Success” and Fight Amp releasing “Constantly Off” was enough right from the start for me. Below are a few videos and a short write up of…

Overall, this night was incredible! The line up of Bubonic Bear, Psychic Teens, KEN mode and Fight Amp was so solid and is one I personally will never forget! Not only did each band completely fucking rule but the fact that I caught both KEN mode releasing “Success” and Fight Amp releasing “Constantly Off” was enough right from the start for me. Below are a few videos and a short write up of what I experienced, but it was one of those shows I still can’t believe I went to because it was that fucking good! Check out each band below.

Bubonic Bear

So first and foremost, Vaporizer didn’t open the show like the flyer states above. So, who better than Bubonic Bear to play before their final show at PhilaMOCA the very next night?! They played six extremely heavy / highly complex songs that completely ruled, left me wanting for more, and entirely distraught with their band calling it quits. Each track that they played progressively got better than the last and if I haven’t said it enough, Philadelphia Noise Rock has lost one of the most crucial bands in it’s arsenal… they will surely be missed, however watch the videos above to catch 1/3 of their performance to relive the show if you were there or celebrate them anyway if you missed it.

Psychic Teens

Psychic Teens would be probably the odd man out at this show because of their entirely diverse feel, lower pitched singing and more progressive style. Don’t let that description fool you though because, to me, they stole the show for being the most original act on the bill. This is not to say that the other bands aren’t innovative in their own right, but Psychic Teens just brought it in a much different way. Their sound was still heavy, it hit hard on many levels, their songs flat out fucking ruled and it was all done in a very unexpected way that definitely killed it all around. If you haven’t heard of these guys, definitely familiarize yourself with their material! We did a 7″ review from Reptilian Record‘s Keystone Noise Series that you can read by clicking on the link to hear more from these guys and I highly recommend you do, because they’re fucking awesome!

KEN mode (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada)

In between Psychic Teens and KEN mode‘s sets I met up with a buddy of mine that I hadn’t seen in a minute and if I have any regret from this night was that I was way too far away from seeing this band than I would have liked to have been. So my apologies if theres way more crowd than there is band in the videos above… That said, KEN mode put on one of the TIGHTEST and most ferocious sets of the night! They were really energetic, provided some really interesting audio samples and just put on an undeniably amazing set that made me think that stages like the Kung Fu Necktie might be getting too small for these guys in the very near future. I ended up picking up “Success” on vinyl after the show and I can honestly say it’s one of my favorite releases local or national put out this year so far! If you haven’t gotten your copy definitely click this link to pick it up before it’s gone forever!

Fight Amp

After KEN mode fucking destroyed their set, I was admittedly a bit worried about how Fight Amp would follow their tremendous performance. Thankfully, they proved me WAY wrong by coming out with the sludgiest and heaviest performance of the night! We’ve done a ton of coverage leading up to this performance and in every way possible they superseded all expectations of their set! Filled with hilarious banter in-between songs and flying beer cans (for which they’d requested) they delivered a crushing performance consisting of mostly songs off of “Constantly Off” and their strongest efforts off of their previous releases! All in all, it was 35 minutes of literally the best Fight Amp performance I’ve yet to see! If you want to check out more about “Constantly Off” check out our vinyl review here! If you’re a complete nerd about music equipment check out this post we did for them a few weeks back.

No words necessary… RIP.

RADIO STATIC PHILLY’S RECOMMENDED SHOW OF THE NIGHT! >>> Fight Amp, KEN Mode, Psychic Teens, Bubonic Bear @ Kung Fu Necktie – 8PM / $10 / 21+

Fight Amp Hardcore, Sludge, Noise Rock Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / YouTube / Website

KEN mode (CAN) Hardcore, Metal, Noise Rock Facebook

Psychic Teens Punk, Alternative, Goth Facebook / Twitter / Tumblr / Website

Bubonic Bear Punk, Hardcore, Noise Facebook / Blogger

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>>> Soraia, Knif, The Doughboys, The Droogettes @ Kung Fu Necktie – 8PM / $6 / 21+

Soraia Punk, Blues, Rock Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Tumblr / YouTube / Website

The Droogettes Punk, Garage, Rock Facebook / Instagram

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>>> Morning River Band, Mother, Driftwood Soldier @ Bus Stop Music Cafe (NJ Burbs) – 7PM / $5 / All Ages / BYOB

Morning River Band Americana, Folk, Country Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Website

Mother Americana, Psych, Rock Facebook

Driftwood Soldier Folk, Blues Facebook / Website

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Friday Shows – 06/19/15

For the record, I’m sick of writing these posts… This is the 3rd time THIS FUCKING MONTH I’ve reported that a band is or has broken up. This time it sucks even more because the ever rising Philadelphia Noise Rock scene is losing such a critical piece this time around… Bubonic Bear is calling it quits and while this isn’t news for the majority of you, it doesn’t make it suck any less. Founded in 2008, Andrew and Dustin recorded six releases, toured a handful of times and make some of the most killer sludgy hardcore that still boggles my mind how it only comes out of a two-piece! Tomorrow we’ll have an interview with the guys posted up just before their last show so definitely check that out! Tonight they just got added to the Fight Amp, KEN mode, Psychic Teens bill at the Kung Fu Necktie and tomorrow will be their last show ever with Heavy Medical, The Cloth, and Neolibz at PhilMOCA! Send them off right Philadelphia and get to both of those shows! In memorial, their entire discography is below! Click play and listen to it all!

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Gear Gods put up a killer YouTube channel that features awesome bands and the gear that they use to get their sound. They caught up with Fight amp and recorded each member individually. They all go WAY in-depth into their rigs, so stop reading this and learn how these guys get their sound! Also check out their show with KEN mode and Psychic Teens and now BUBONIC BEAR performing their 2nd to last show, TONIGHT!!!!

As always, The Cloth kills every time they play! Just run a search on our site for music they’ve released or shows they’ve played and between what Ivan and I had to say about it, it’s obvious that they’re one of the key bands leading the noise rock scene in Philadelphia, currently. The video is dark and ominous like many of the Motel Hell videos, but the songs that come out within this nearly eight minute video is what truly makes it special! These dudes are going on tour in a few months so definitely click the link and get your friends in other towns out to see them! Their next performance will be at PhilaMOCA where they’ll share the stage one more time with Bubonic Bear as it’s they’re last performance ever! So DEFINITELY get to that show because it’s obviously going to rule, press play and if you haven’t already get way stoked on The Cloth!

P.S. They’ve got a full LP coming out on Reptilian Records REAL SOON!