by Brianna Redding
California-based punk rock band Joyce Manor played for a packed house at Union Transfer this past Monday. Joining them on tour was Michigan rock group Cheap Girls, as well as New Hampshire’s Tracks.
Tracks (all photos by Brianna Redding)
This was Tracks’ first tour since forming earlier this year. Jason Anderson, who some may remember from Wolf Colonel, expressed his love for Philadelphia. “This town has the best music scene in the country,” Anderson told the audience. This was also Tracks’ first Philly show, which lent to much enthusiasm on stage. Tracks’ sound can be best described as Springsteen-meets-Coldplay, with Anderson’s strong vocals over harmonious, slightly melancholy music.
Cheap Girls
Cheap Girls was next to take the stage, immediately capturing the audience’s attention with their indie/punk rock sound and earnest lyrics. Front-man Ian Graham sounds a bit like Patrick Stump, which was something I noticed right away. Cheap Girls’ set list was a little more upbeat than Tracks’ and seemed to get the crowd of mostly teens and twenty-somethings amped for Joyce Manor.
At around 10 pm, Joyce Manor took the stage and were greeted by the deafening screams of some of their biggest fans. The band played mostly stuff from their newest album, Never Hungover Again, as well as songs from their various EPs. Lead singer and guitarist Barry Johnson was charismatic and managed to keep the crowd on their toes the entire time, pausing between songs to talk to the audience and crack a few jokes. At one point during the show, a fan tossed a plastic bag filled with miscellaneous items at the stage, and Johnson took the opportunity to look through it and have some fun with the audience. Seeing a band interact with their fans during the show is always refreshing and makes the experience that much more special, in my opinion.
Joyce Manor
Johnson is known for his disdain for stage diving/crowd surfing, which was noticeably absent at the show, with the exception of one attendee who was quickly told to get down by security. Regardless, this didn’t seem to be a problem for the crowd, as everyone seemed to be having the time of their lives. Toward the end of the show, the band played fan-favorite “Constant Headache” and came out for an encore of “Catalina Fight Song” and “Five Beer Plan,” much to the audience’s delight.
