Tonight, West Philly ensemble Grandchildren will be opening night one of Man Man’s two-night run at Union Transfer. The two groups have had mutual crushes on each other for a while since Honus Honus name-dropped them back in 2010 as his favorite local band. Later, Man Man made things official by taking Grandchildren out on tour in support of their 2011 album Life Fantastic. Since then, both bands have kept busy releasing new albums. Grandchildren’s latest effort Golden Age, a bourgeoning collection of tight compositions and complex syncopation, came out earlier this year on Earnest Jenning Record Co. The band toured for a while with Yip Deceiver so this is a good chance to see the sextet back on their home turf. These guys are notoriously badass in the live setting, and have been honing their set on the road, so you won’t be disappointed with this last minute addition.
From “Werewolf (on the hood of yer heartbreak)” to Wolf Blitzer in “End Game,” Man Man has managed to become a respected and beloved band talked about on Pitchfork and Anderson Cooper alike – all without restraining any of their endearing weirdness. Instead, they have matured, continued to experiment, and five albums in seem to be finding their sound more than ever before. You know that Man Man is going to pull out all the stops for this Halloween run, so get that face paint and headdress ready, and don’t be afraid of a little confetti and fake blood. Or maybe real blood? Union Transfer, 1026 Spring Garden St., 8pm, $20, All Ages – Adam G.
