Punk For a Cause: Speedy Ortiz heads up a Girls Rock Philly benefit

Speedy Ortiz | Photo by Chris Sikich | sikichphotography.com

Thursday night the First Unitarian Church had a phenomenal four band lineup to support Girls Rock Philly. Headlined by Speedy Ortiz, who was touring in multiple cities to support the Girls Rock Camp Foundation, it was an eclectic and electric celebration of music present and future.

Beginning the night was local band Anomie, led by Rachel Browne of Field Mouse. It was a brief snippet of the talents of Browne, who played songs from Anomie’s 2015 self-titled EP. Second up was Palm. A four-piece with a sound akin to Grizzly Bear, they put on an inventive set of harmony and guitar intersections.

Up next were the punk powerhouses Downtown Boys. With the energetic, outspoken Victoria Ruiz at the helm, they rocked out with politics and saxophone-infused guitar riffs. Even covering “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” with a dirty grunge finish did not elude their talents, as they set the stage for Speedy Ortiz.

With Sadie Dupuis rocking unicorn-colored hair, Speedy Ortiz showered the dark recesses of the Church basement with the brilliance of their 2015 Foil Deer. Dupuis’ shredding was perfectly balanced by Devin McKnight’s guitar, the bass in the barely lit stage left of Darl Ferm and the drums of Mike Falcone. It was a great way to end a night of punk rock for a great cause.