It’s been a while since we’ve covered a show at Underground Arts, but we had to sneak in one last show there before 2017 came to a close. We realized that we missed catching shows at the venue as we exited the frigid night and entered the venue on Saturday, December 30th. Maybe this show was just what we needed to rekindle our love affair with Underground Arts. But enough about the venue, because, while we love it there, it was the bands performing that night that motivated us to brave the arctic air, and we are oh so happy that we did.
The show, headlined by The Great Enough, featured several other bands, including Andorra who put the show together. Daddylap and Saint Slumber had already played and Andorra was just hitting the stage as we arrived and, as we have seen Andorra perform before (at a Radio 104.5 Birthday Bash) we knew what to expect from the hard rockers: loud guitar riffs and aggressive vocals. These guys have won awards and made a lot of noise locally and, although a little heavy for our taste (or maybe just in contrast to the other bands who performed on Saturday), they seem poised for a breakout. We kind of expected a mosh pit to appear or for instruments to get smashed on stage but perhaps Andorra just doesn’t have an appetite for destruction. That’s probably better since guitars are expensive and you know, waste not, want not.
Up next was Resilient, a 75% female outfit from Philadelphia who self-describes their sound as “fizzrock” (we would classify it as a mix of grunge, punk, and pop). Their performance had a vibe reminiscent of Veruca Salt (sorry youngins if we are dating ourselves here) and their spunky frontwoman Erin Fox commanded the stage, managing to be both charming and intimidating all at once. They rocked out several tracks from their album ‘How to Peach’ which you can check out here: https://resilient.bandcamp.com/album/how-to-peach. All in all, we loved their set and hope to catch them again soon here in Philly (your next chance is Saturday, January 27 at Kung Fu Necktie).
Just after 11 pm, the headliners, The Great Enough, hit the stage to a round of applause. The Great Enough is certainly a band to keep an eye on. Their debut single, ‘Can You Relate?’, has garnered over 1 million plays on Spotify! Not bad for a band that has never played a live gig at the time of its release. One listen to the track and it is instantly apparent that The Great Enough has all of the tools to become not just great enough, but great. Lead singer Bright Kelly’s gritty voice was made for radio, and the precise lead guitar of Brian DiBiagio, and the steady drum beats laid down by John Hoff, round out the trio to perfection (when performing live they are also joined by bass player, Robby Crane). We were curious if their live sound would stand up to their studio recording and The Great Enough did not disappoint. Their sound was every bit as impressive in person as it is cranking out of the speakers here at Independent Philly.
Their 9 song set included an eclectic mix of both up and downtempo tunes. Encouraged by Kelly, the ever-animated frontman, the audience clapped and stomped their feet along to the hard rocking tunes like ‘Die Young’ and listened attentively to the lyrics of a quieter love song, ‘Never Run Away’, written by Kelly to his wife (which will be the band’s next single). The sixth song of the set, the aforementioned ‘Can You Relate?’, has been played locally on Radio 104.5, received the most cheers of the night. The trio ended the night with a cover of U2’s ‘Pride’ with help from Radio 104.5’s Jessie on vocals. It was a fun end to the evening and showed that The Great Enough has the versatility to perform stellar covers alongside their own rocking, originals.
Your next chance to catch The Great Enough locally is March 24, 2018, at The Fire and we fully expect to see them on the festival circuit by this Summer. These guys aren’t just good, they’re great. Enough.
[Photos by D. Jacob Miller Photography]
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