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Indie Rock Hit Parade Live Session: Alvvays

Alvvays | Photo by Eric Schuman
Alvvays | Photo by Eric Schuman

Our latest Indie Rock Hit Parade Live Session takes us out of the studio and into one of South Philly’s new favorite clubhouses, the Boot & Saddle. Joining us for a live session/pre-show soundcheck is the Toronto quintet Alvvays. Get past the hurdle of their slightly perplexing name (it’s pronounced the same as “always”) and you’ll be rewarded with one of this year’s strongest debut albums. Alvvays’ self-titled record was released back in July and quickly became an Indie Rock Hit Parade staple. Jangly, melodic and occasionally noisy, Alvvays is the sound of a young band with both a firm root in the past and a distinct vision for the future. Continue reading →

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Alvvays bring summer vibes to Boot & Saddle

photo by Jeremy Zimmerman | Jeremy-Zim.com
photo by Jeremy Zimmerman | Jeremy-Zim.com

I finally learned how to pronounce “Alvvays.” It’s, uhh… Actually just the same as how you would say “always.” Ever since first hearing of Alvvays several months ago, I had been awash with confusion over the band’s name—in a similar manner to the CHVRCHES crisis when that band appeared on the scene a few years ago. But Monday night’s Alvvays show at Boot & Saddle was more than phonetically satisfying—the avvant-garde spellers also spelled out in no uncertain letters that they just plain rock. Continue reading →

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Tonight’s Concert Picks: Alvvays at Boot and Saddle, Drums Like Machine Guns at Kung Fu Necktie, Johnny Marr at Union Transfer

Alvvays | photo via facebook.com/ALVVAYS
Alvvays | photo via facebook.com/ALVVAYS

Toronto dream-pop five-piece Alvvays (pronounced “always”) returns to Philadelphia tonight for a headlining show at Boot and Saddle. The band released its self-titled debut LP on Polyvinyl records earlier this year, and its a delightful set of indie-pop anthems reminiscent of Teenage Fanclub, Black Tambourine and My Bloody Valentine. Check out the uber-catchy “Marry Me, Archie” below and get tickets and information on the show at the XPN Concert Calendar. Continue reading →

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Get flashy with Beach Day, The New Pornographers & Literature on the Indie Rock Hit Parade!

Beach Day | Photo by Kimmy Drake
Beach Day | Photo by Kimmy Drake

The Indie Rock Hit Parade returns to the XPN airwaves tonight at 10pm! Tune in for a colossal assortment of brand new tracks from Beach Day, The New Pornographers, Tennis, Alvvays and more! And don’t miss our album spotlight on the newly released sophomore LP from Philly’s own Literature! Here’s a sampling of what’s in store tonight:

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Photos: A night of fuzz rock and dream pop at Johnny Brenda’s with Yuck, Alvvays and Hurry

Yuck | Photo by Rachel Barrish | rachelbarrish.com
Yuck | Photo by Rachel Barrish | rachelbarrish.com

UK retro-rockers Yuck kicked off their winter tour at a sold-out Johnny Brenda’s on Tuesday night with a fuzzy set of songs from their 2013 outing Glow and Behold as well as their 2011 self-titled debut. While founding member Daniel Blumberg left the group during the making of Glow, new guitarist Ed Hayes meshed well into the four-piece, bouncing around the stage with high energy as the crowd bopped around delightfully to their Sonic Youth via Dinosaur Jr. tones.

The opening acts mixed well into the set; excellent Toronto five-piece Alvvays nearly with a set offering a shoegaze / dreampop flipside to Yuck’s propulsive fuzz-rock approach. Splitting the difference in the first opening slot was Philly’s Hurry, whose short set mixed both dreamy melodies and punk energy – plus a snappy cover of Guided by Voices’ “Teenage FBI.”

(See more – Check out photos from Yuck’s World Cafe Session)
(Hear more – Stream a new single from Hurry called “Oh Whitney”)