NON-COMM Day 3: Lykke Li, Parquet Courts, Lydia Loveless, etc.
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.
The conference capped off on Friday with the performers I was looking forward to the most.
NON-COMM (WXPN’s non-commercial radio conference) capped off on Friday with the performers I was looking forward to the most: Lydia Loveless and Lykke Li. But here’s all the highlights (in order of appearance):
Strand of Oaks Part metal, part folk and sounding like nothing else at NON-COMM, Tim Showalter and his band brilliantly blasted out the future of rock.
Paul Burch Burch, in bowler, suit and red shoes, packed a six-string and delivered a slice of a bygone music era.
Nicole Atkins She sported fiery red hair and a caftan, but visual dramatics aside, Atkins dazzled the crowd with charisma and solid hooks.
Lydia Loveless Playing from her masterful 2014 Somewhere Else, Loveless and her phenomenal Columbus, Ohio, band (pedal steel and bass, plus guitarist Todd May jamming away in his own corner) won over many who’d never even heard her name before.
Lykke Li In one of her few U.S. appearances, the darkly lit Swede unleashed a haunting pop set to scare up the ghosts from her stellar third album, I Never Learn.
Parquet Courts In a set of contrasts, this Brooklyn four pack began with a wall of noise and ended their set of new songs with intricate, contemplative punk.
Hurray For the Riff Raff The magnetic Alynda Lee Segarra led her tour de force ensemble through rich territories of country and folk, with fiddle, harmonica and upright bass along for the ride.
Cheetah Chrome It was a genius move to end the whole festival with The Dead Boys frontman, who provided punk-rock context and 12-string twang; Chrome repaid the favor in spades by concluding the night with The Dead Boys’ “Sonic Reducer.”
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