Read previous – Shadow of the City 2021
For their first show back since testing positive for COVID, Beach Bunny brought their Revenge of the Riffs tour to The Fillmore Philly on Wednesday, May 18th. With Wednesday having unfortunately dropped off this date, dance-y synth/hyper-pop artist Ky Voss was the lone opener and played a great set that included songs from her latest space travel-inspired LP The After.
We’d last had a chance to catch Beach Bunny when they played Shadow of the City in Asbury Park in 2021 (coverage here). For an outdoor summer festival, I feel like they could’ve amped-up that performance a bit – but perhaps it was just the crowd. Being in post-COVID recovery, I wondered if Lili Trifilio and co.’s energy would suffer for this show. As they kicked off their set with “Oxygen” (from their forthcoming LP Emotional Creature), those concerns were quickly put to rest. While known as a master of crafting hooks, Trifilio is underrated as a vocalist and absolutely sparkles live. As an early (i.e., pre-TikTok) fan of Beach Bunny, I feel like they’ve only gotten better with each subsequent release – ranging from jangly reverb-soaked dream/surf pop to crunchy 90s power pop/alternative rock, their discography would definitely be on my Stranded on a Deserted Island playlist. “Nice Guys” (from their 2021 Blame Game EP) is the exact kind of track I wish my favorite band(s) from back in the day still knew how to write (stream below). And that outro section to “Rearview” (from their Honeymoon LP) is one of my favorite things ever.
Throughout their set, the exuberant crowd obliged every one Trifilio’s requests for participation with full commitment (whether it be crouching then jumping during the opening of “6 Weeks” or singing along to the chorus of “Karaoke”). Beach Bunny played a nearly 20-song set and finished the night with their 2018 single “Painkiller” – Trifilio invoked the crowd one last time to form a wall of death, but it failed to materialize (lame, Philly). After playing Lollapalooza this July, their tour will pick back up stateside and they’ll return to the area with 2 nights at Brooklyn Steel in August. See all of their upcoming tour dates here. Their sophomore LP Emotional Creature will be released on July 22nd (via Mom + Pop Records). Check out the music video for Emotional Creature single “Karaoke” below and keep scrolling to see more photos from the show.
