Concert Review/Photos: Tigers Jaw @ Union Transfer
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
They're just a couple of Sadkids. And that is why the other Sadkids love them.
[ 6/17 ] If you know Tigers Jaw, you probably already know what happened at their show. If you don’t, you probably wouldn’t have liked it, or are still friends with all of your high school buds and never had anyone reject you romantically. How nice!
People moshed; specifically, kids ages 19 and younger moshed. Shoes flew. DSLR lenses were kicked. Sadboy Singer Ben Walsh whined. Sadgirl Keyboardist Brianna Collins talked about her cat. Some kid called the bouncer a douche for not letting him outside to smoke a cig because he was under 21, and the bouncer followed him back in to throw him out. Real subversive stuff, you know?
But that’s the charm of Tigers Jaw, I guess. (Hey, maybe that’s why their new album is called Charmer.) They err on the pop side of indie-emo-punk-whatever and infuse most songs with melodic, repetitive choruses that will never leave your head. They are always going to close with “Never Saw It Coming,” and the crowd will always express its collective identification with the sitting-alone-in-your-basement-with-a-guitar descriptions of losing friends and feeling alone by always — always — singing at the top of its lungs.
And the band probably won’t try very hard at bantering. During one song break,Walsh told us about how one of the band members had been feelings weird for a few days until he realized he’d been taking Tylenol PM in the mornings. That was the entire story. Other breaks featured declarations thatWalsh was nervous, and in one case, just silence for about 30 seconds straight.
“A lot of Type B personalities in this band,” commented concert-pal Marc Snitzer.
Yeah, well. What can you expect from a band that’s most popular song has a chorus of a few wailing “Whoaaaaaaaaaaas?” They’re just a couple of Sadkids. And that is why the other Sadkids love them.
