XPN welcomes The Bacon Brothers to the Keswick Theatre tonight. The Philadelphia natives were playing music together long before Kevin’s acting and Michael’s composing careers took off, though their last album of new material was 2008′s New Year’s Day.  Tickets and information for tonight’s show can be found here.  Watch a video of the brothers and their band performing live below.

XPN welcomes The Smithereens to the Landis Theater tonight.  After putting out their tenth studio album in 2011, the New Jersey rock band has continued to tour steadily and will join Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers on the road this summer.  Tickets and information for tonight’s headline show can be found here.  Below, watch the video for 2011 single “One Look at You.”

XPN welcomes Steve Earle & the Dukes to the Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville.  Modeling himself after famed singer-songwriters Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark, Earle has released fourteen records over the course of his career.  The Low Highway was released this month through New West Records.  Tickets and information for tonight’s show can be found here.  Below, watch the video for “Invisible.”

UK alt folk trio Daughter headline Union Transfer tonight.  Building buzz off of two EPs, the London outfit have finally released a hauntingly emotional debut album this week called If You Leave.  Tickets and information for the show can be found here.  Below, watch the video for “Still.”

Grandchildren celebrate their album release at Johnny Brenda’s tonight.  Golden Age will be released on May 7th, and you can get an in-depth look at the orchestral pop band’s world surrounding the album in this week’s Unlocked series.  Tickets and information for tonight’s 21+ show with The Lawsuits, Laser Background and DJ POW POW can be found here.  Watch the video for “Sunrise” below.

I was not always an Anglophile.  It all began when I spent several months studying in London in 2011, chasing down any band from Philly that was playing a gig in any corner of the proverbially foggy city.  But once I returned stateside at the start of 2012, I found myself doing the opposite – chasing down any band from the U.K. that was playing in any corner of Philadelphia (and in one or two instances, New York).  The reverse culture shock was significant and unexpected.  As much as I love Philadelphia and its music community (which is to say, a lot) I spent 2012 pining for a metropolis 3500 miles away.  I tried everything to fill the void, from venturing into Haddonfield, NJ for some fish and chips, to drinking cups upon cups of tea (and, of course, wallowing in my room, staring at the hundreds of pictures I had taken).  But then I noticed that my favorite part of London, its eclectic and eye-opening music scene, seemed to have traveled home with me.  So, here are my five favorite (favourite?) U.K. acts that crossed the pond (either physically or, in one case, sonically) in 2012 to share a bit of the old country with my home city of Philadelphia:

1. Daughter “Youth” The Wild Youth EP

Daughter’s Elena Tonra has the melancholy songs to ease any painful longing, whether it be for a person or a place.  And with only a couple of EPs to their name, Tonra and her bandmates have set their place on both sides of the Atlantic as a band to watch.

2. Ben Howard “Black Flies” Every Kingdom

Though technically released at the end of 2011, Ben Howard’s debut crossed over in a big way in 2012.  Howard proudly carries on the acoustic guitar tradition of John Martyn and Nick Drake but moderns it up a bit with an outdoorsy angle thanks to his surfing background.

3. ∆ (alt-j) “Something Good” An Awesome Wave

These guys just won the Mercury Prize for 2012 (and recorded a great World Cafe session here) so clearly they’re doing something right.  And I think that “something” is representing the adventurous and cutting-edge side of British music that sometimes gets lost in the Brit-pop and classic rock.

4. Dry the River “History Book” Shallow Bed

Like Daughter, East London’s Dry the River specialize in the sound you might imagine a breaking heart would make. Their debut is exquisite and dynamic and takes the notion of British folk to another dimension.

5. Pale Seas “Bodies” Bodies / My Own Mind (single)

Though they are perhaps my favorite musical discovery while I was abroad, Pale Seas have not physically crossed the Atlantic Ocean to the U.S. (yet).  They did, however, open for The War on Drugs at a London gig and they just won the 2012 Spotify Artists and Managers award in the “up-and-coming” category so we can be hopeful that the Southampton / London group will visit our shores in 2013 with a full-length in tow.

Honorable Mentions:

Syd Arthur “Edge of the Earth” On an On
Cian Nugent “Grass Above My Head” Grass Above My Head
Michael Kiwanuka “I’m Getting Ready” Home Again

Also on the bill was Danish band Choir of Young Believers, who started their set as just a duo, but quickly filled the stage with three other band members. The majority of their set was slow ballads, followed by a few booming tracks filled with a combination of 80′s synth and orchestral pop. “He sounds like a Scandinavian Bono,” my boyfriend remarked. It was true – at times The Choir of Young Believers could have been the bizarre combination of U2 and Swedish band The Shout Out Louds.

Philadelphia darling Lucy Stone opened the show with a few tracks from her Would You? EP including “Would You,” “Out of Time,” “Tell Me To Go,” and even managed to squeeze in a couple newer songs and a cover of Young the Giant’s “My Body,” which had first-time audience members pleasantly surprised.

The Swollen Fox’s Tuesday Tune-Out series at PhilaMOCA continues tonight with a set from DRGN King followed by a movie screening.  The Philadelphia psych/indie duo signed with Bar/None Records last month and they have a new album in works for early 2013.  Doors for tonight’s event open at 7:30 p.m. and the music begins at 8:00 p.m.; admission is $5 at the door.  Below, watch a video for the upcoming album’s first single “Holy Ghost,” which will be released as a limited edition 7″ on October 23rd.  You can also listen to and download DRGN King’s 2011 Key Studio Session here.

Buzzing North London trio Daughter make their way to Kung Fu Necktie tonight.  Daughter is the vehicle for Elena Tonra’s music, a blend of piercing heart-on-her-sleeve lyrics and moody, chrystalline melodies.  Tonra has recorded two EPs with her bandmates, including 2011′s Communion-backed The Wild Youth (though the music you’ll find on either EP is not your average folk).  Daughter perform tonight alongside Choir of Young Believers and local musician Lucy Stone.  Tickets are $10 for the 21+ show and the doors open at 8:00 p.m.  Below, watch Daughter perform “Youth” on The Late Show With David Letterman.

Willie Nelson’s western town in Luck, TX, is about a 45 minute ride from downtown Austin. On Thursday, March 15th, at SXSW, the town was transformed into the Heartbreak Banquet, a performance space with two stages featuring over 20 musicians including Rhett Miller, Father John Misty, Blitzen Trapper, Daughter, Billy Joe Shaver, Phosphorescent, and Gary Clark, Jr.
Heartbreak Banquet was presented by Electric Lady Studios and Robot Fondue, in association with John Varvatos. For the attendees (including WXPN Station Manager Roger LaMay) it was a welcome break and musical retreat from the frenzied pace of SXSW.

Jay McLaughlin

The London trio Daughter made its American debut last Tuesday night at Union Transfer, opening for Tennis and White Rabbits. That same day, the band released its debut EP, The Wild Youth, on Glassnote Records. The band is fronted by guitarist Elena Tonra—who, during the show, exhibited a mesmerizing, intimate, and confident presence on stage. Below, download the song “Love” from the EP for free.

Daughter – Love (taken from ‘The Wild Youth EP’) by ohDaughter