This is a good week for Philly music fans who plan far in advance; super exciting concerts starring Jill Scott, Yo La Tengo, Ari Lennox, alt-J, Jedi Mind Tricks, and some guy named Bruce are all sold out. Never fear, though; there’s plenty more to keep you cheering in the crowd. Here are ten concerts to see in the next seven days, all around Philly; get tickets and more information on these shows at WXPN’s Concerts and Events page.
Sunday 3/12: Squirrel Flower at the First Unitarian Church
As of this writing, a very limited number of tickets are still available for Squirrel Flower’s intimate show tonight in the side chapel of the First Unitarian Church, but that will absolutely change by showtime, so don’t dawdle. The project of Boston artist Ella Williams, Squirrel Flower struck a chord in early 2020 with the moving, Mitski-esque LP I Was Born Swimming; they actually performed one of the last concerts we saw before lockdown. Flash forward three years, and Williams has released another record as well as an EP called Planet, and we anticipate a wide-ranging set in a cozy setting tonight. // 8 p.m., $16, AA
Sunday 3/12: Bleary Eyed at PhilaMOCA
Philly experimental rock four-piece Bleary Eyed is celebrating the release of their self-titled EP tonight at PhilaMOCA. The project of singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Nathan Salfi, the band’s latest batch of songs finds them opening up and embracing poppy sensibilities while not forsaking the hazy atmospheres that made them a buzzing name in east coast DIY these past couple years. Highnoon shares the bill with them at the Callowhill venue, as does the heavy shoegazers in Halloween. //8 p.m., $15, AA
Monday 3/13: thuy at The Fillmore Philadelphia
R&B singer thuy thrives on spacious atmospheres and catchy rhythms, like we hear in last year’s smash hit “girls like me don’t cry.” It’s cool, it’s relatable and fun, and if you didn’t get tickets to Ari Lennox’s sold out show on Saturday, this is 100% a gig you should hit up instead. // 8 p.m., $25, AA
Tuesday 3/14: Betty Who at Union Transfer
Head to your hyperpop happy place Tuesday night when Sydney singer-songwriter Betty Who brings dancefloor energy to Union Transfer. Her fourth album, Big!, came out last fall, and she described its sound in an American Songwriter interview as “larger than life, a million miles high.” //8 p.m., $30, AA
Wednesday 3/15: Unwound at Union Transfer
Pacific Northwest post-hardcore icons Unwound are headlining two nights in Philly this week on their first tour in 21 years. After initially selling out in a heartbeat, Union Transfer was able to identify several hundred orders that came from scalper bots, and subsequently cancelled them to make the tickets available to actual face-value-paying humans for both Wednesday and Thursday nights. Down with bots, up with Union Transfer. Expect gorgeously tense atmospheres and cathartic build-and-release structures from both Unwound, and TEKE TEKE, whi opens the shows. //8 p.m., $35, AA
Thursday 3/16: Voices of Philly Soul with Carla Gamble at World Cafe Live
Singer-songwriter Carla Gamble is a host and performer at World Cafe Live’s Voices Of Philly Soul series, which happens this Thursday at the venue’s Music Hall. It’s timed for Women’s History Month, but looks more to the future, a the lineup Gamble put together is packed with stellar names from today’s scene including Suzanne Christine, Taylor Kelly, and Noel Scales, rapper Queen Jo, chamber quartet Black Canvas and more. If you missed out on getting tickets to the Jill Scott show at the met on Thursday, this is 100% the place you should be. //8 p.m., $25, 21+
Thursday 3/16: Dawes at The Fillmore
Remember when Dawes was supposed to play XPoNential 2022 and then had to unfortunately pull out last-minute? We know our audience loves the honest, rock n’ rock stylings of Dawes. And tickets are still available for their date at The Fillmore this Thursday in promotion of their new Misadventures of Doomscroller; get yours now. // 8 p.m., $37, AA
Friday 3/17: Quasi at Johnny Brenda’s
Back with their first new music in a decade, electronic indie pop duo Quasi reunited during the isolation of the pandemic. The result is a jangly pop-rock opera of themes you’d expect from Portland residents stuck inside worrying about the future, like climate change and the proliferation of misinformation, plus buzzworthy “doomscrollers.” Fans of Sleater-Kinney’s golden era won’t want to miss ½ of Quasi, Janet Weiss, perform on drums. // 9 p.m., $20, 21+
Friday 3/17: Shannen Moser at Abyssinia
The smallest venue on this list, Abyssinia has been making room for full calendars of music and events so far this year. Shannen Moser’s delicate music will absolutely shine in this intimate room atop an Ethiopian restaurant that feels like you’ve discovered it yourself. // 7:30 p.m., $10 , 21+
Saturday 3/18: Railroad Earth at XL Live
The folk jam outfit Railroad Earth won’t be far from their New Jersey home at this York, PA gig on Saturday. Come out to celebrate their latest All For The Song, a dense record from the playbook of The Grateful Dead. // 8:00 p.m., $25, AA
