Last Thursday’s Kung Fu Necktie lineup was an eclectic affair. While Philly bands Residuels and Shape Breaker played upstairs to what I dimly observed as a cohesive, largely black-shirted male audience, its downstairs crowd mingled like dueling department store perfume counters. And hey, I love that smell! Makes me feel like I’m a part of something. Something that smells good. As an added bonus, no one at KFN ever smells like perfume, and there’s never a line to the ladies’ room, yielding what I’ll call a “Best Case Scenario” type of night.

Kicking off the Scout Niblett-headlined showcase was Mike Bruno + the Black Magic Family Band. Bruno’s soft, thoughtful indie rock is coated in eerie psychedelic twilight alongside the Black Magic crew. The seated Family members onstage maintained fluttery eye contact amidst tambo aftershocks, wind instruments and dirgey guitar as the band played a set that stuck closely to their 2012 LP, The Willing of the Wisps. Highlights included a powerful, doom-laden rendition of “In the Shade,” and watching multi-instrumentalist Megan Miscieglia (a.k.a. Bad Braids) calmly tear it up on the theremin – a confounding and mesmerizing feat. “You should totally get one,” she told my friend Hilary after the show. “They’re cheap and easy to learn.” Consider this an advance apology to the good citizens of South Philly for what I fear may very well turn into Hilary’s Winter Project 2013. Miscieglia, that’s blood on your hands.

Baltimore’s Dope Body followed Bruno and the Family with a dark and energetic set, amping up the docile crowd in a surprisingly smooth transition into their intricate, hard noise rock. Frontman Andrew Laumann delivered a frenetic and vulnerable performance, exorcising demons and birthing new ones in the process. Picture lots of writhing and dancing. High-energy numbers off 2011’s Nupping like “Falling Down,” were punctuated with Laumann’s thrashy, Jonathan Richman-reminiscent stage presence, resulting in a tight and balanced set. Outside later, Laumann admitted to not having enjoyed playing in Philly on Dope Body’s previous tours. He said their KFN debut had exceeded their expectations, to which I can easily say on behalf of Thursday’s crowd: “likewise, dudes.”

Scout Niblett appeared onstage minutes later, and set to work immediately, doing what she does best: Bringing her studio recordings to big, reverby fruition onstage. Looking like To Kill a Mockingbird’s Scout Finch after a fight in a tastefully rumpled schoolgirl dress and red knee-high socks, Niblett ran the gamut of her catalogue while managing to avoid any hint of her more upbeat classics. If you’re looking for your “So Much Love to Do” Scout of the past, this tour is likely not your best bet. This just in: Scout Niblett is not in love, and it sounds awesome. Starting early with a power-packed rendition of “Gun” off of her new record It’s Up To Emma, Niblett delivered a seamless set of sparse, loud, break-up rock, cradling the entranced crowd in her redemptive, punchy misery. Every time I see Scout Niblett perform, two things are true: 1) It is one of the best shows I will see all year. 2) It is less than $11. She stayed off the drums this time around, and didn’t shy away from her most introspective tracks off of her latest album (see: “My Man”), and still managed to draw her audience into the palm of her hand. She closed unabashedly with an old favorite, “Uptown Top Ranking,” rounding out the evening as quietly as it began. Top notch. – Leslie Burnette

Below is the debut track from Alpine Roses, a collaboration between Cough Cool (a.k.a. Dan Svizeny) and Brendan Codey, called "Racer 5," which premiered earlier today over at Impose and is available for free download. It will also appear on their upcoming three-song cassingle that will be release on September 23 via Treetop Sorbet Recordings.

Here’s the debut single and music video from electro-pop duo Never Volunteer (featuring Chang Chang) called Why Would We Go Now, a.k.a. I Know What You Did Last Summer. "It follows the plight of friends who go from giving a shit where they go out, to giving a shit if they even go out at all. Backdrop of Philadelphia where there are plenty of things to do, but they are done better under the influence." The track is off their forthcoming four-song EP Listed…Not Listed, and all the songs on the album will be rolled out in the coming months accompanied by videos. Enjoy!

Step back in time to the back of VW Bus on the lawn at Woodstock, and join Needle Points on a rock and roll road trip. A mix of psychedelic rock and tribal jam band, the group is relatively new to the local scene, but there are talented and passionate veteran noisemakers behind the grooves. They don’t stick to the basics, weaving a hard-hit tambourine and heavy drums in with scuzzy, lo-fi guitar riffs. An eclectic blend of various genres, the band prefers shaking it to the beat of their own drummers (Jooti Kaplan and Dani Kinoshita who, by the way, really do rock). They’ll open for Brooklyn natives Nude Beach, whose moniker describes much of their sound: wailing and beachy pop-rock that’s not afraid to show some skin.  Each band’s unique sound promises to draw a crowd, but, like a time machine, it’ll transport listeners anywhere they want to go. Ortlieb’s, 847 N. Third St, 9:30pm, $8, 21+ (Photo by Jason Riedmiller) – Shaylin O’Connell 

NEEDLE POINTS from Matt Gaye 

Birds of Maya are making a rare appearance tonight at the Circle of Hope as part of a benefit for the Shalefield Organizing Committee. The organization is “a group of concerned residents from across eastern Pennsylvania who work to protect human and ecological rights for those living in the shalefields,” which helps to combat fracking, the process of drilling and injecting fluid into the ground at a high pressure in order to fracture shale rocks to release natural gas inside, causing dangerous side effects. They’ll be joined by Dance Nook and Matt Sowell. Circle of Hope, 2007 Frankford Ave., 7pm, $10, All Ages – Alexis V.