The walk between a friend’s small Fishtown street and the complex that houses Punchline, Brooklyn Bowl, and The Fillmore (w/ The Foundry upstairs) is approximately 10 mins. (Give or take a minute or two, if you’re like me and had to stop to say hello to a cute dog full of nervous, jumpy anxiety.) I walked in and was greeted by the sweetest folks working at the Fillmore and was led upstairs to the newly renovated The Foundry. The bar know surrounds the area with the booths and ramp walkway. The FOH has been moved to the middle with merch on the sides of the room. Everything else stayed the same. The same gritty industrial feel that is the stage for Los Angeles natives The Strike to perform for the first time ever. I follow them ardently as they announced new tour dates and new music and when I scanned for Philadelphia (as usual) – I let out a big whoop that scared my cat. I have wanted to watch them live for ages, since first discovering them in 2018 and got to scratch off seeing them live for the first time in Philly on my 2024 Bingo card. I have been pretty lethargic the last few weeks but seeing this amazing, high energy band live pulled me out of a slump.
I walked in just as Ethan Thompson was getting rowdy and intimate with the Philly crowd. He’s better known as Alt Bloom and instantly made a fan out of me. This was the first time hearing his music and I was for sure impressed. You see it takes a lot for me to really get into newer music but Ethan’s vocals shined through the multi-instrumental beats. Backed by Alex Palazzo of The Strike on guitar. The two made an incredible first impression and even got a fan stoked after he dedicated a song called “Jeans and a T-Shirt”. I really feel that Alt Bloom has a deep connection with his fans and makes them feel seen and heard. Even going as far to spend a bit of his time by the merch table saying hello in between sets. We can’t wait to see what the future has in store for Alt Bloom. Moreso I can’t wait to see a full headlining set really soon.
You can find more info on Ethan and Alt Bloom at this link.
Once the switch over was done, my nerves resurfaced once more as I was finally going to fulfill a 7 year-ish bucket list item and see The Strike live and in color. The band is fronted by Chris Crabb, with Alex Palazzo, David Maemone , Frank Ojeda and Jay Tibbitts. There’s a saxophonist too who just amplifies the entire discography that much harder than it already was. Once the lights died down, the band walked on stage with Crabb taking center-stage as they jump right into their set for the night with Overtime. The energy surged through the roof and stayed there until the last fan left the building. It was spectacular and there was a ton of male fans there just dancing and singing along. It was so nice to see them shine as it was their first ever show in Philly. They’ve had a decorated career so far with accolades ranging from being on Netflix’s To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before to being asked by Quincy Jones himself to do a 3-month residency over in Dubai.
From the side of the crowd, I can see how happy and proud every one was of their band. You can see them recording the songs on their phones to watch later. One fan even bumped into me while dancing along to Human Right and another just had to hug their friend because it was the best night ever. I have sang their praises so much on this past blog post with a review of Just Like Paradise but they are the real deal. Besides Chris Crabb gives off major Elvis Presley vibes and you cannot unsee that. I left the venue smiling from ear to ear with a logo enamel pin in my black shoulder bag. I kept singing along to a lot of the songs on my walk back to my friends place and even stopped by a corner store to grab a drink to commemorate the occasion.
If you can get to a show this summer, please do so! It is a night full of good vibes, great music and even better company.
I first heard the catchy “Human Right” from the 2017 album “Faint of Heart” off of a playlist made for the Netflix show To All The Boys, I’ve Loved Before”. The scene where Laura Jean dances with her friends at the school dance to Human Right made me want to find out more about The Strike. The Los Angeles based band headlines The Foundry at The Fillmore on July 19th. It’s a Friday. Start your weekend right with Alt Bloom opening up the dance floor with The Strike headlining.
The latest single from them came out July 2nd with the announcement of their full-length out on September 27th from Nettwerk Music Group called “Until the Lights Go Out”. Here’s what we think of the latest single. Just Like Paradise is an edgy, 80’s synth infused track, that is a hopeful anthem of being embraced in the moment. And to never forget that even in the dark times, there are sparks of joy hidden away somewhere. That in those hard moments you just have to hold on to that light. That paradiscal feeling of seeing palm trees, sandy beaches or a library that rivals even the Beast’s majestic one in his castle. Whatever paradise is defined by you – just hold steady and true. Leading the June 28, 2024 release are songs like Down, The Getaway, and Heroes of the Heart. You can hear those songs and many more when they come to play The Foundry (upstairs at The Fillmore) on July 19th. Tickets are still on sale.
Catch The Strike’s high energy headline shows starting July 11th in Houston and wrapping July 30th in Minneapolis, with some scattered headline U.S. dates this fall. Tickets are available to purchase HERE.
July 26 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom & Tavern
July 27 - Columbus, OH - A&R Music Bar
July 28 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
July 30 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th St. Entry
August 30 - San Diego, CA - Soda Bar
August 31 - Los Angeles, CA - Teragram Ballroom
September 27 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
September 29 - Denver, CO - Meow Wolf
October 10 - Pioneertown, CA - Pappy & Harriet’s
October 11 - Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar
October 12 - Las Vegas, NV - The Beverly Theater
November 1 - Santa Cruz, CA - The Atrium
November 2 - San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill
ABOUTTHESTRIKE:
For over a decade, a life-affirming spell seems to enchant every audience The Strike plays to. It’s why the explosively melodic indie-pop band have been booked for weeks-long residencies from Dubai (at the behest of music legend Quincy Jones) to China (at Qingdao Beer Festival). Back in LA, they have an appeal that’s lured fans to travel across continents to see them, and others to get Strike-themed tattoos. Music supervisors have used their songs on Dancing With the Stars, America’s Got Talent, and Netflix’s To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. None of this good fortune is lost on The Strike. This is why their third album, Until the Lights Go Out, was created with the goal of capturing this phenomenon of intoxicating folks wherever they go. “A lot of our music is very upbeat and major-sounding and…we’re not afraid of that,” says David Maemone, guitarist-keyboardist. Stay up-to-date on the album by following the band on socials.
You may have been hearing Fitz and The Tantrums latest single “Out of My League” all over social media platforms Nikki Reed’s TikTok page where she and Ian Somerhalder can be seen reenacting a scene from the popular The Vampire Diaries and Twilight series. The single from the multi-platinum band surpassed 1 billion streams on the popular with over 5 million users creating content using the bands sound. Last month as a nod to Vitamin C’s “Graduation (Friends Forever)” they band interpolated that into the newest single “No Goodbyes (Friends Forever)” with the original song celebrating its 25th anniversary. I remembered that song was out when I had graduated from middle school. Crazy how time flies.
This month also see’s Fitz and The Tantrums’ return to the Philadelphia region supporting O.A.R on their summer tour hitting TD Pavillion on Sunday, July 28th with one-off festival dates mixed in for a great summer ahead. If you are interested in seeing them when they hit the TD Pavillion at the end of the month. You can go here for tickets. They’ll be playing songs from their latest album “Let Yourself Free” which came out to critical acclaim with the band selling out iconic venues like Red Rocks Amphitheatre and The Forum.
