Philly’s Union Transfer was the place to be this Halloween, as Brooklyn’s World Inferno Friendship Society and Japan’s Melt Banana tore through two blistering sets with local openers Mischief Brew rounding out the bill.
The show was packed by the time openers Mischief Brew hit the stage and it was only shortly thereafter we saw Dr. Suess‘s Thing 1 and Thing 2 crowd surfing into a sea of moshing scarecrows, super-hereos, and ninja turtles. Few bands can draw such an eclectic gathering of the masses, as World Inferno Friendship Society and Melt Banana bridged generational and scene divides like only a handful of bands can do these days.
Melt Banana hit the stage next with 20 years, 10 Lps, and 23 EPs worth of bringing the shred to your door kind-of-experience. Melding elements of noise rock, grind drumming, mathy riffing, and punk- Melt Banana accelerated the oscillating hodgepodge of runny-make-up-covered villains and devils into a whirlwind. Melt Banana plowed through 50 minutes of non-stop shredding and even ran through a mini-song segment where they fired off a nine-song barrage of their shortest material, lasting only a few moments. They carried through with fiendish energy, continually rising the temperature on the floor before the headliners took to their positions.
World Inferno Friendship Society consumed Union Transfer and their massive Halloween crowd from packed floor to overlooking balconies with their infectious punk rock orchestra of horns, violins, keys, guitars, and deviously charismatic front-man Jack Terricloth. Inferno tore through classics along with material from their 2011 release of The Anarchy and The Ecstasy. We caught up with Mr. Terricloth shortly after the release of The Anarchy and The Ecstasy, for a feature interview, where you can explore more on this fascinating alamagamation of 7 to 13 life members who celebrate youthful spirits and system-changing anthems.
Photographer Dante Torrieri was on hand to capture another brilliant set of photos for your viewing pleasure, so without further ado..
All Pictures by Dante Torrieri of Useless Rebel Imaging.
Words by Joshua T. Cohen
World Inferno Friendship Society
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