10 concerts to see this week, including Roots Picnic, Cosmic Guilt, Ladybug Music Festival and more

Here are 10 concerts to see in the next seven days, all around Philly. For tickets and more information on these shows, head to the WXPN Concert Calendar.

Sun. 5/26: Ruth Moody at The State Theatre

Progressive bluegrass luminary Ruth Moody of The Wailin’ Jennys is on a solo tour this year, possibly indicating we might be hearing her first solo music since 2017 in the not-too-distant future. Catch her tonight at The State Theatre in State College. // 8 p.m., $25, AA

Tue. 5/28: Francis of Delirium at Johnny Brenda’s

Luxembourg indie rocker Jana Bahrich has been making music under the moniker Francis of Delirium since 2020, and the project is going on a North American run this spring that brings them to Johnny Brenda’s Tuesday. Lighthouse, their latest album, splits the difference between hooky indie rock chops and lush, Sufjan-esque orchestrations. Local indie pop outfit Julian, the four-piece band led by visual artist Jay Leiby, opens. // 8 p.m., $17, 21+

Wed. 5/29: Camera Obscura at Union Transfer

Speaking of beautifully orchestrated indie pop, turn your attention to Union Transfer this Wednesday, where Scottish six piece Camera Obscura plays the first night of their North American tour in support of their first album in eleven years. Look to the East, Look to the West is the band’s first time making music together since the passing of keyboardist and vocalist Carey Lander, who passed since 2015, and it is emotive and heartfelt, but also incredibly bright and beautiful. Arrive early for openers Photo Ops. // 8 p.m., $25, AA

Fri. 5/31: Cosmic Guilt at First Unitarian Church Sanctuary

It’s a busy Friday night as May turns the page to June, and one way to celebrate is with Philly psychedelic country faves Cosmic Guilt. The project of Dylan-styled songwriter James Everhart, and featuring WXPN’s own George Murphy on guitar and vocals, the band’s latest album Palace of Depression drops this week, and this gig in the gorgeous sanctuary of center city’s First Unitarian Church is the optimal space to experience its lush arrangements and roof-raising harmonies. // 7:30 p.m., $25, AA

Fri. 5/31: Low Cut Connie at Elkton Music Hall

Playing a couple states over from his onetime bandmate, Low Cut Connie’s Adam Weiner headlines tonight at Elkton Music Hall in Northeastern Maryland. This summer, Weiner launches Connie Club, a variety show themed limited series on WXPN, and this solo performance may give us a window into the hijinks he has in store. // 8 p.m., $32, AA

Fri. 5/31: Ladybug Music Festival

Another option below Pennsylvania’s southern border is Wilmington, Delaware’s Ladybug Music Festival. Now in its twelfth year, the femme-forward concert has truly come into its own, and this year features a ton of WXPN favorites including Velvet Rouge, Caring Less, Humilitarian, and headliners Catbite. // 4 p.m., Free, AA

Fri. 5/31: Shannon and the Clams at Union Transfer

Back in Philly, get your garage rock on with the Oakland rippers (and this week’s Free at Noon guests) Shannon and the Clams. The band’s seventh studio album, The Moon is in the Wrong Place, released earlier this month on Easy Eye Sound, and is another reason to love this band — along with their reputation for a rager of a live show, of course. Arrive early, because buzzing Philly surf punk outfit Wax Jaw opens. // 8 p.m., $25, AA

Sat. 6/1 and Sun 6/2: Roots Picnic

How may we enumerate the ways that the 2024 Roots Picnic has us excited? Jill Scott. Nas. Victoria Monét. Lil Wayne doing a New Orleans jam with The Roots and Trombone Shorty. Local talent like Kenya Vaun, Chioke, and N3WYRKLA. The famed U+ME+RNB DJs. The festival is a long haul, especially as a multi-day event in the lush surroundings of Fairmount Park’s Mann Center campus, but it’s always a rewarding one. // 12 p.m., $225, AA

Sat. 6/1: Stereo League at Johnny Brenda’s

Soul-inflected Philly indie rockers take their latest turn headlining the Johnny Brenda’s stage this Saturday. From local scene players to collaborators and curators, they are a multifaceted bunch, and this time they ring in June with Bo Rains and Angelo Outlaw, the experimental vibes player who just chatted with Culture Cypher Radio’s John Morrison about his adventurous career so far. // 8 p.m., $15, 21+

Sat. 6/1: Muscle Tough at Brooklyn Bowl Philly

If you hear the words “Get Tough!” and your immediate instinct is to respond “Muscle Tough!”, you definitely need to be at Brooklyn Bowl Philly this Saturday. The far-out jazz/jam/progadelic trio is celebrating ten years of weirding out on the scene, whether reinventing pop jams like Kylie Minogue’s “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head,” dishing their own adventurous tracks like “Clear Your History,” or making the holidays weird with the trippiest set WXPN’s Home for the Holidays concert has ever seen. Head to Fishtown, roll a few frames, and congratulate Ross, Jon, and Joe on their first decade of musical oddity. // 8 p.m., $27.85, 21+