METZ, Bully & So Pitted – First Unitarian Church – Philadelphia, PA – January

So Pitted – First Unitarian Church – Philadelphia, PA – January 12, 2016 – Photo by Chris Sikich © 2016

METZ, Bully & So Pitted – First Unitarian Church – Philadelphia, PA – January 12, 2016

Tuesday night at the First Unitarian Church was a triple ode to punk rock. Opening the show was So Pitted, playing their first ever set of East Coast dates. Based out of Hawaii, they darkened the barely lit room to a blue hue and blasted some thrashing guitars and drums into the ears of the growing crowd. Their forthcoming Sub Pop debut will certainly be worth a listen.

Bully – First Unitarian Church – Philadelphia, PA – January 12, 2016 – Photo by Chris Sikich © 2016

Up next were the punksters Bully. Led by the gruff poetics of Alicia Bognanno, they ripped through the cold warmth of the First Unitarian Church. With the likes of the anthemic, driving “Trying,” Bognanno’s raspy, yet sweet vocals were an aural storm mixed with grunge guitars and a hurricane of blonde hair. The Nashville squad’s 2015 standout Feels Like shows promise for a solid rock future.

METZ – First Unitarian Church – Philadelphia, PA – January 12, 2016 – Photo by Chris Sikich © 2016

The crowd shifted after Bully to ready itself for the punk trilogy conclusion of METZ. With two albums under its belt, including 2015’s II, the Canadian trio’s noise-rock presence got the crowd in a moshing mood. And with the nice touch of their own backlighting, they leapt and provided some sonic pulverization. It was a fitting end to an early 2016 show.

Chris Sikich

Copyright ©2016 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: January 15, 2016.

Photos by Chris Sikich © 2016

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