Slowdive | photo by Parri Thomas
It’s a good time to lose yourself in live music.
Here are 14 concerts to see in the next seven days, all around Philly. For tickets and more information, head to the WXPN Concert Calendar.
Starting as an 80s child star and breaking out in the early 2000s with her album Everybody Got Their Something, pop-soul force of nature Nikka Costa returns to the area tonight for a headlining show at Ardmore Music Hall. Costa’s ninth album, Dirty Disco, came out this year. // 7:30 p.m., $28, 21+
XPNFest vet, acclaimed troubadour, member of the ensemble cast of Killers Of The Flower Moon: there are a lot of reasons for you to know Sturgill Simpson. Now you can see him headline a two-night stand at The Met Philly, kicking off Tuesday and continuing on Wednesday night 11/13. // 8 p.m., $98.30 and up, AA
With roots in the poppy edges of the DIY scene, Chicago’s Ratboys have come into their own as an indie rock force with serious instrumental chops, prominently on display in their fifth studio LP, last year’s The Window. They’ve joined forces for this fall tour with the lyrically sharp Palehound, the project of New England singer-guitarist and songwriter El Kempner, and the show comes to Philly Wednesday at Underground Arts. // 8 p.m., $29.81, 21+
On their latest album, Yard, Wisconsin four-piece Slow Pulp tackle topics like loneliness and acceptance, as we learned in their World Cafe session this winter. They bring it to Union Transfer this Wednesday with Free Range, aka multi-instrumental Chicago artist Sofia Jensen. // 8 p.m., $23, AA
Australian mind-benders POND might operate in the shadow of Tame Impala — both bands hail from Perth, drummer Jay Watson is a full-time member of each — but they can take solace in being the prolific member of the family, releasing ten studio albums in the same time that their sibling band has released four. Think of them as a bit more gritty, a bit more on the edge of down under psychedelia, and explore their 2024 double album Stung! with them this Thursday at Union Transfer. // 8 p.m., $25, AA
Kalamazoo singer-songwriter Jason Singer was a Free At Noon hit last year at Michigander’s Free at Noon Concert in support of the EP Everything Will Be OK Eventually. He returns to the F@N stage this week, ahead of a headlining show Friday night at The Foundry in support of this year’s Giving Up. // 8 p.m., $31, AA
Dream-pop trailblazers Slowdive are in the swing of a 21st century renaissance. Everything Is Alive, their second post-reunion stunner, just turned a year old and the band’s North American tour in support of it comes to Franklin Music Hall this Friday. // 8:30 p.m., $39.50, AA
A humble prediction: one of the best albums of next year will be Sasami’s Blood On The Silver Screen. Out in March on Domino, the record finds the versatile Los Angeles artist — who explored confrontational metal on 2022’s Squeeze, and melancholic indie introspection on 2019’s self-titled outing — leaping headfirst into pop, with dazzling results. The stellar “Slugger” is only the tip of the iceberg. Get a first listen to the new music before most of it is out this Friday at Union Transfer when Sasami shares the stage with riotous Cali punks Destroy Boys. // 8 p.m, $25, AA
Led by the Soweto bassist, composer, and vocalist behind Paul Simon’s 1986 album Graceland — and specifically the person behind the iconic groove of its hit “You Can Call Me Al” — Bakithi Kumalo’s Graceland Experience is a must-see recreation of an essential album, a moment where pop/rock production, introspective songwriting, and social activism crossed paths with remarkable results. Take it all in Saturday at East Falls’ buzzing folk space The Fallser Club. // 8 p.m., $30, AA
Recent stars of The Key Studio Sessions, Philly five-piece The Out-Sect are riveting post-punk fueled garage rockers with a knife’s-edge approach to making throwback music for unsettling modern times. Get a taste of their latest batch of songs when they headline an all-local lineup at Atlantic City’s Anchor Rock Club this Saturday. // 8 p.m., $13.32, 18+
The ever-popular cosmic country showcase Baby’s First Rodeo returns to Ortlieb’s this Saturday with Ma’am on the bill. The rowdy State College collective led by frontperson Raeli Rose released their latest, Rules 2 Ramblin, almost a year ago to the day of the show. Chris Rafter opens, Donkey provides line dance lessons. // 8 p.m., $15, 21+
Fans of lo-fi, heartrending synth-forward indie pop — perhaps those tuning in to The Softies’ recent session on World Cafe — will find a kindred spirit in Carney’s House Party. The project of Melissa Kramer Cresswell, who over the years has played in spirited Philly projects like Glitter and The Snow Fairies, released its debut EP The Negative Space this spring. She calls it her “teen zine dream come true” and plays her debut show this Saturday at Riverwards space The Perch with soul-stirring Elkton, MD band Red Birds and mysterious Philadelphians Sandcastle. // 7 p.m., $10, AA
Longtime XPN faves The Wood Brothers — Chris and Oliver Wood, with multi-instrumentalist Jano Rix — bring their exploratory take on Americana rock to Phoenixville’s Colonia Theatre on Sunday. Originally gaining prominence on the Blue Note Records roster, they’ve been releasing through their own Honey Jar imprint for the last decade, and last year put out their ninth album Heart Is the Hero. // 8 p.m., $49.50, AA
Indie songwriting royalty Mirah met Seán Barca late last year when both participated in Hearts & Minds & Crooked Beats, a Clash tribute compilation raising money for the refugee advocacy org International Rescue Committee. They began working together on a studio project that became Barna’s latest EP, the folk-infused Internal Trembling, out November 22nd on Kill Rock Stars. Mirah and Barna have now decided to take their collaboration from the studio to the stage on a fall tour that comes to Ortlieb’s on Sunday. // 7 p.m., $19.74, 21+
