Photos and Written by : Alexandrea Da Veiga
As I ascended from the bustling first floor filled with the typically boring Center City Saturday crowd, the transition to the upstairs venue felt like stepping into an alternate universe. The loud, punk, hot, and queer space exuded an energy that was much closer to what I like, which is what my pre-show research lead me to expect from this band.
Thus Love, a queer post-punk band hailing from the woods of Brattleboro, Vermont, and one of the few good things to emerge from the Pandemic (the band was “forced” to their debut album, Memorial, during COVID-19) brought a taste of the 80’s to the second floor of Milkboy.
The show was kicked off with the electrifying performance of Philly-based Lahnah, followed by the raw intensity of New York punk rockers Native Sun. Thus Love opened with “On The Floor” which highlighted Lu Racine’s powerful drumming, followed by a special on-stage collaboration with the members of Native Sun for “House on the Hill”, an unreleased single coming out this November.
Within just a couple of songs, Thus Love succeeded in breaking down barriers, enticing people away from the edges and towards the stage. There was a decent amount of people hanging out in the periphery(Why? I do not understand, you paid to see this, get close to the action!). It was a testament to the band’s ability to forge a genuine connection with the audience and get the crowd going.
This was the final stop of a month-long, sixteen-show tour. Lead vocalist and guitarist, Echo Mars, candidly addressed the challenges of their rigorous touring schedule. Likening it to the monotonous existence of a “french feudal peasant” due to the repetitive drive-wait to play-perform-drive routine. The toll of the road was evident, with Lu Racine’s broken cymbal and Echo Mars’s weathered guitar held together with tape, Ally Juleen(bass) and (Guitar and Synth) seemed to have had some mercy on their gear.
Throughout “Get Stable”, “All Pleasure” and “Lost In Tranz” they struck a delicate balance, leaning into their genuine expression without turning into excessive theatricality that could overshadow their music.
To finish the night, “Centerfield” slowed things down and wrapped us in the new wave gloom and mesmerizing guitar tricks and magic that the audience, including me, loved and grooved to. “Put On Dog”, one of Thus Love’s most popular songs, served as the perfect finale, the cherry on top of the loud, sweaty cake.
The turnout was respectable, but I am surprised that there were not more bodies in attendance. Thus Love is certainly a band not to miss next time they are in town. As the house lights came on and Echo Mars told us to go home it was clear that even after a long month up and down the East Coast, Thus Love left an enduring impression on the minds of everyone lucky enough to attend this performance.
Website丨Facebook 丨Instagram 丨YouTube 丨Spotify丨Apple Music
