Last night I attended some crazy college kid's basement show with my good friend in the worst part of Philadelphia to see some awesome local bands. I originally came to see Senium, of which I've been dying to see live once I was told about them last year.
The show was supposed to start at 7:00 p.m. but I got there around 8. The apartment was exactly what I was expecting. It smelled like puke, stale beer and the air was filled with cigarette smoke but that's how the place got their name, Puke Palace. The infamous Puke Palace of North Philly.
The show started at 10:30. It had a slow start because most of the people were wasted about the time it started. Boy Chief started the show. I had no clue who they were but after their set they defiantly made it in my favorite local bands list. I was instantly blown away by their guitar playing and Lauren Tsipori's vocals, who resembled Alex Turner from the Arctic Monkeys. Tsipori's guitar playing reminds me of Josh Klinghoffer from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and that will tell you how wicked Lauren is. Tsipori is the kind of musician that everybody should strive to be.
After Boy Chief played, I left to make a beer run but I got back just in time to see The Chelsea Kills finish their set. Their front man, Sam Mercurio, was insane. His guitar playing reminded me of Johnny Ramone which once again instantly blew me away. He definitely doesn't have his head screwed on tight enough but it works. The drummer broke his kick drum pedal and Sam went on to finish the set with Vasectomy (I believe was the name), singing and playing the guitar by himself. If he wanted do have a band by himself, he could do it.
By this time Senium was getting ready to play. I got to meet them before the show started. They are the nicest guys you'll ever meet. Their debut album 'Such Progress' was recorded by Steve Albini, the man behind such masterpieces as Nirvana’s In Utero and The Pixies’ Surfer Rosa. They recently released their self produced 2nd album 'You're Not From Here' last October with a 19 song track list. I wasn't expecting how amazing they were live. Their heavy basslines, ground thumping drums and killer high octave vocals of the front man, Andrew McNicholas. This long blonde hair, bearded small guy was intense and insane. His vocals would pierce your ears the moment he opened his mouth. I would love to hear Andrew cover a Chris Cornell/Soundgarden song. His guitar playing is all his own, he has his own style. I really wouldn't be able to compare him to anyone because he plays like himself. Senium is the pure definition of a grunge band. In my honest opinion, they blow Nirvana out of the water. If you do enjoy, Nirvana.. give this band some loving too!
Old Scratch, Negative Nancy and Sunflower Bean played after but we didn't stick around to watch. I did come down during the last band which wasn't that great. They had a new bassist and a couple of problems. I'm not going to go into to much detail but they tried. We had a couple of beers over a long chat with Senium and helped them bring their gear out. It was a great night! If you live in New Jersey, New York or Pennsylvania come check these bands out!
Check out each band on facebook/bandcamp:
Boy Chief
The Chelsea Kills
Senium
Sunflower Bean
Old Scratch
Negative Nancy
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