August is winding down but the concert calendar is now lightening up. This week, we have indie shows in clubs, country shows in spectacular outdoor spaces, and everything in between — with a ridiculously stacked Thursday night round of offerings. Here are 18 concerts to see in the next seven days, all around Philly; for tickets and more information on these shows and more, head to the WXPN Concerts and Events page.
Sunday 8/21: Will Butler at Johnny Brenda’s
A longtime utility person in Arcade Fire, Will Butler is fully striking out on his own this year, and we’re hoping to hear some of what he’s been working on tonight at Johnny Brenda’s. Butler’s last studio album was 2020’s Generations. // 7 p.m., $18, 21+
Monday 8/22: Sonagi at Ukie Club
Philly hardcore four-piece Sonagi fuses the catharsis of screamo with the technical precision of progressive metal on their 2022 album Precedent, released on Philly’s Get Better Records. They’ll play it live Monday night for an all ages crowd at Ukie Club along with Snuffed, Gre/ay, and Slide,. // 7:30 p.m., $15, AA
Tuesday 8/23: Jackson Pines at City Winery
Exploring themes like family ties, youthful nostalgia, and the stress and strain of life in 2020s America, Jackson Pines songwriter and frontperson Joe Makoviecki sings with honesty and compassion aimed at bringing folks together in divided times. They’ll play a hometown show Tuesday at City Winery Philly, sharing the stage with Cordovas. // 7:30 p.m., $18, 21+
Tuesday 8/23: Peaches at Union Transfer
Electronic punk impresario Peaches made a bold impact with her 2000 debut The Teaches of Peaches, and over the ensuing two decades has not relented with her brand of disorienting, confrontational art. She’s celebrating the anniversary of her debut this Tuesday at Union Transfer; Kalifa opens. // 8:00 p.m., $30, AA
Tuesday 8/23: Golden Apples at Liberty Point
Liberty Point’s “Philly Grown” summertime series continues bringing local food and local music to the Delaware Riverfront this week, with psychedelic basement rockers Golden Apples showcasing their self-titled 2022 album, which infuses fuzzy rock with hooks galore. Recent Indie Rock Hit Parade session alum Nina Ryser opens. // 7:00 p.m. $5, 21+
Wednesday 8/24: Kathleen Edwards at McLaughlin Norcross Memorial Dell
It’s a sort of preview of the XPoNential Music Festival when singer-songwriter Kathleen Edwards plays a free concert Wednesday night at Haddon Heights Summer Concert Series. Edwards returned in 2020 with her fifth studio album Total Freedom, and she shares the bill with Philly’s Shannen Moser, who’s about to release their third LP The Sun Still Seems To Move. // 7:00 p.m., Free, AA
Wednesday 8/24: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit at SteelStacks
Last fall, country singer-songwriter Jason Isbell released Georgia Blue, his eighth studio album and fourth with his band the 400 Unit. A collection of covers of songs by famous Georgia artists — from R.E.M. to Indigo Girls — the charity release was a celebration of Isbell’s home state going blue in the 2020 presidential election. He and the band will make a stop this week in the Lehigh Valley for a headlining show at SteelStacks this Wednesday. // 7 p.m., $52, AA
Thursday 8/25: Amos Lee at American Music Theatre
Philly-rooted singer-songwriter Amos Lee is in top form these days, fusing his coffee house soul roots with high-end pop production on this year’s Dreamland. He’ll make a visit to his home state Thursday for a stop at Lancaster’s American Music Theatre. // 7:30 p.m., $39 – $59, AA
Thursday 8/25: Devon Gilfillian at Upper Merion Township Building Park
Nashville-based, DelCo-raised singer-songwriter Devon Gilfillian is a shining light wherever he’s living and whatever stage he’s taking. This week, that means a visit home to family and a show at Upper Merion Township’s Concerts Under The Stars series on Thursday night. Can make it to the show? He’ll be at Long’s Park Amphitheater in Central PA the following Sunday. // 7:00 p.m., $20, AA
Thursday 8/25: Indigo Girls at Bristol Township Amphitheater
Another outdoor concert from another XPN fave? Tis the week, it seems, and who can argue with the veteran folk rockers Indigo Girls bringing their socially-conscious, deeply-emotive music to Bucks County’s Bristol Township Amphitheater for a Thursday night gig. The duo’s latest, Look Long, was released in 2020 on Rounder Records. // 8 p.m., $55, AA
Thursday 8/25: The Decemberists at The Met Philly
It’s been 20 years since Portland indie-folkies The Decemberists made their debut with lit major-friendly rock songs on Castaways & Cutouts, and the band’s tour in celebration of the milestone also serves as a celebration of re-emerging into the world. They’re calling the run “The Arise From The Bunkers Tour” and it touches down at The Met this Thursday. // 8:00 p.m., $39.50 – $79, AA
Thursday 8/25: Doll Spirit Vessel at The Lounge at World Cafe Live
One of the most striking Philly debuts of the year came from Doll Spirit Vessel, a jagged-yet-poppy indie four-piece whose What Stays LP dropped a couple weeks ago and who fuses shimmering pop choruses with complex arrangements and riffage. After celebrating the record with a basement show at Planet Earth PHL a couple weeks back, they’ll play World Cafe Live’s Lounge this Thursday opening for Florist. // 8:30 p.m., $15, AA
Thursday 8/25: Meet The Bug at Calvary Center
Meet the Bug, aka Cariahbel Azemar, was recently described by our Paige Walter as “a triple threat singer-songwriter / multi-instrumentalist / producer who started her synth-based project around this time last year.” Her latest release, Beet The Mug, reflects on arriving at adulthood and finding independence after a trying childhood; she’ll play West Philly’s Calvary Center on Thursday. // 7:00 p.m., $5 – $15, AA
Friday 8/26: The Shins at Franklin Music Hall
The X-ennial anniversary runs are out in force this summer, and in this case, it’s the 21st birthday of the debut album from a band that Natalie Portman once famously proclaimed “will change you life.” Okay, yes, that Garden State line was a goofy moment of corporate-indie crossover that proved to be a harbinger of sorts for the decade that followed, but let’s not forget that when The Shins toured Oh, Inverted World, they were a scrappy indie band from Albuquerque, New Mexico, that hit the road with something to prove, blowing headliners off the stage from Modest Mouse to members of Pavement. The record is a gem, and the band’s catalog as a whole is solid, and it will be a joy to sing along to “Caring Is Creepy” with the rest of Franklin Music Hall this Friday. // 8:00 p.m., $49.50, AA
Friday 8/26: DIY Super Bowl at Ukie Club
Last summer, the folks at the 4333 Collective proved they were a force to be reckoned with on the local scene by staging the DIY Super Bowl at Underground Arts, by all accounts the first and biggest and best-attended indoor concert in Philly’s post-lockdown days (“limited-capacity” shows notwithstanding). This year, the Super Bowl is back, and 4333 is taking it to the next level; Speedy Ortiz and Kississippi headline night one, with a reunion of the beloved emo band Snowing ruling night two. The gigs take place at the Ukie Club, and are very much worth getting to. // 7:00 p.m., $19.27 per day, AA
Friday 8/26: Sug Daniels at Ortlieb’s
Fresh off an appearance at Philly Folk Fest and ahead of an outing at XPoNential with the Black Opry Revue, Delaware-born Philly-based singer-songwriter Sug Daniels gets the show started at Ortlieb’s this Friday, where she’ll share the stage with Philly’s Willie Nelson, Roger Harvey and his tourmate Paisley Fields. Daniels released the terrific Franklin Street EP last fall, her first solo outing after several years fronting the funk-soul powerhouse Hoochi Coochi, and whether she’s playing this gig solo or with a band, she’ll have you engaged. // 8:30 p.m., $15, 21+
Saturday 8/27: Velvet Rouge at Johnny Brenda’s
Velvet Rouge is the latest iteration of the stylish and hard-hitting rock that Gina Zo and her bandmates have been cooking up over the past couple years; they just released their debut single “Save Me,” it’s a burner with riffs to spare, and they’ll play their first headlining gig at Johnny Brenda’s this Saturday. Garage rock psych-heads Lito and The Shepherds open. // 8:00 p.m., $10, 21+
Saturday 8/27: Petite Amie at The Lounge at World Cafe Live
We would be stoked on this show if it was just a lineup of charismatic modern rockers Humilitarian and epicly-orchestrated post-emo outfit Nonfiction, two stars of the Philly scene. But add into the mix Petite Amie, a psychedelic-dipped indie five-piece from Mexico City, and it’s a show not to be missed in World Cafe Live’s Lounge this Saturday. Petite Amie’s self-titled LP from last year is awash is warm and wavy tones, colorful production, and infectious melodies that will draw you in and get you moving. // 8:00 p.m., $12, AA
