Just a few minutes into The Wonder Years’ set, the crowd was already swimming in crowd surfers. Underground Arts was packed for a second sold-out night, and you could feel it – the heat, the excitement, and the sense of shared chaos in which frontman Dan “Soupy” Campbell thrived.

While embracing the chaos of the pit, Campbell also had safety at the forefront of his mind, pausing the set at various times when there wasn’t enough security to catch all the surfers, and reminding everyone to stay hydrated.

The Wonder Years Photos By: Emma Zoe Polyak

The Wonder Years Photos By: Emma Zoe Polyak

Campbell also paused to share a message of unity and solidarity, noting that he finds himself compelled to speak about this topic at every show. He mentioned that he heard mixed feedback from Friday’s crowd about his stance, and rebutted that while everyone’s entitled to their own opinions, collective anger should be directed at the systems that keep marginalized people down, and not at each other.

The night opened with Kulfigirls, who you might’ve caught earlier in the week during their co-headline of XPN’s Free At Noon (with fellow Philly Music Fest act, Archawah). Based in Philadelphia, the band is fronted by Abi Natesh and draws on Carnatic tradition to create a genre bending sound.

Natesh started off sitting on the stage playing a Saraswati veena, a South Indian traditional instrument. She joked about being eye-level with the crowd, and it was only when she stood up for the next song that the audience at the back could see the complete band, and how cohesively they worked together.

Their set worked as a kind of warm-up for what was to come, but it also stood on its own: they blended heavier elements with subdued hints of pop rock and traditional music. If you haven’t listened to Kulfigirls’ latest album, Divinity, consider this your call to do so.

Next up were Caracara, Philadelphia indie-punk band. No strangers to the Philly music scene, this was their first show of the year – one that they “rehearsed for, but not too much,” the band joked. Their set escalated quickly, full of energy and big cathartic moments.

Before closing with “Better,” frontman Will Lindsay spoke about privilege and accountability, calling on the crowd to use their voices and platforms for good. The band’s earnestness and conviction seemed to ground the chaos, reminding the room that punk’s true power has always come from community.

By the time The Wonder Years returned to the stage to close out the night, that sense of community was already alive and pulsing. Between the crowd surfers, the singalongs, and Campbell’s impassioned speeches, night two at Underground Arts felt like a reaffirmation of what Philly Music Fest stands for: solidarity, local talent, and the shared experience of live music. Philly Music Fest rounds out its week tonight (10/19), with a punk-filled night at Milkboy, and a jazz set at Solar Myth.

The Wonder Years Photo By: Emma Zoe Polyak

The Wonder Years Photo By: Emma Zoe Polyak

Kathleen Edwards: “Chameleon/Comedian” (XPoNential Music Festival – 2019)