by Samantha Weinraub
Walking into the PhilaMOCA is like walking into an intimate house party. You can greet friends you’ve known, or friends you will soon know, and toss your winter coat on a couch against the wall. Dragon Kings, The Districts, Triathalon and Zula put on a show December 12th that felt like a house party at an experimental, zany friend’s bachelor pad. Leftover art from the Mr. T exhibit lined the walls, and projections flashed behind the performers.
The Districts open the show, displaying their youthful, friendly energy and steady rhythms. They are a young, super group of local talent circulating through the Philadelphia area. Despite their youth in years, they play with an age in their music. It is soul-filled and resounding in emotion. Robbie, the lead singer, blows into his harmonica and belts out some raw feeling. On the track “Funeral Beds,” listeners are swept up with lyrics like, “These great fields are stretching, taking me oh so far..” and really are taken somewhere else. Anyone listening to them can sense The Districts’ joyfulness at playing live, and they are definitely a band to catch while they’re still in the local district.
Zula played second, with the electronic, synthed-out sounds in tune to Thundarr the Barbarian animations projected in the background. Planets exploded, stars shot through galaxies, and martians invaded U.F.O.s behind the band. The images were the perfect addition to Zula’s surreal, space-rock sound. “Talk to your doctor,t-t-t-talk to your doctor” were some key lyrics, as blood gushed out of a phantom-lion creature projection, and the whole song-image cycle was completely synced up. Zula is a band not to miss for the fast-paced and experimentally planetary performance.
Triathalon was next to take the stage. Hailing from Savannah, Georgia they mentioned the cold weather in Philadelphia, and promised to warm everyone up. Warm up the room they did, with their surf-mellow music. Like a modern Beach Boys with a psychedelic-rock twist, they are a fun band to watch. Their song “Swells” was a track that got the crowd moving around, and they definitely brought some warmth and waves to the stage and the chilly Philadelphia evening.
Drgn Kings played last, and expressed their excitement at touring south with Triathlon. Scenes from Miami Connection flashed in the background, in tune with the band’s rocking, lively jams. Miami Connection is a film from the 80s depicting a martial arts rock band that goes up against a band of motorcycle ninjas who have tightened their grip on Florida’s narcotics trade (which is based on the history of Drgn Kings, obviously). Again, there couldn’t have been more perfect background images, as Dragon Sounds, the aforementioned martial arts rock band, played in background, while Drgn Kings played on stage. With their hit, “Holy Ghost,” the crowd was up and dancing, and with lyics like, “Hey, is my voice too loud?” there was a definite connection between the on-stage presence and the crowed. Drgn Kings have heartfelt songs, and one track about going to concerts when you’re 15 years old was was very relatable. With a tambourinist and catchy lyrics and hooks, Drgn King is band that makes it nearly impossible not to like! From The Districts to this band, two solid bookends of music, this past Thursday was an action-packed lineup at the PhilaMOCA.
