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The first Philadelphia show played by THE SOFT PACK (formerly THE MUSLIMS) was a great occasion to check out the brand new, just opened club Kung Fu Necktie. A cozy size, similar to Johnny Brenda’s (though it lacks a balcony or a full food menu), the club has great beer on tap, terrific sound and a cozy vibe. I could definitely get used to this place.
As for The Soft Pack, they were fantastic. They couldn’t have played more than 45 minutes or so, but that’s OK as they pack up their considerable blog hype with a fast, speedy and powerful live show that’s way more intense than on their self-titled album on 1928 Recordings. Thus, live they brought their A-game and were closer to their terrific “Parasites”/”Walking With Jesus” single than to their full-length, which mutes their energy for a sound not dissimilar to THE STROKES. Considering that they only have that one, self-titled album and 45 right now (at least as far as I know), the short set was OK. Besides, they left the crowd wanting more and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s always better than overstaying your welcome. I briefly spoke with their singer/guitarist MATT LAMKIN after the show as I was buying a 7” from him and he said they were working on a new album to be released on a different label (the rumor is that they’re the subject of a huge bidding war now) that will also reissue the self-titled album from last year. I look forward to it and hope that it captures their live sound this time around.
Opener THE BROWNS, advertised in previews for the show as an indie-pop band from Brooklyn, actually brought to mind lots of post-punk from the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Sure enough, one of the songs they played was a pretty decent cover of WIRE’s “Mercy” (from their incredible 154 album). Even though many recent bands have attempted this sound, I have to say that at least on a musical level, they did a good job of playing it. The problem is that their singer, well, can’t sing. If they get a new vocalist, they would be a lot better to these ears.
