This past Friday night four Philly bands came together to end the world with a bang, or deny the prophecy of the Mayans rather. Norwegian Arms were also celebrating the release of their debut LP, Wolf Like a Stray Dog, a collection of folk-y, fun tunes written by mastermind Brendan Mulvihill during his time spent in Siberia. Introducing the night was Night Panther, a groovy four-piece that sounds like a sexier version of a 1950’s sock hop. They played some sweet electric guitar riffs and boogied down in their dapper outfits to thumping electro sonic blasts. Following their performance was ex-Armchairs Andy Molholt’s project, Laser Background, a band so different and unique that their sound could only be described by the soul of their kazoos and rockin’ guitar work. A big excitement of the night, besides the release of the new Norwegian Arms LP, was the return of Pattern is Movement to Johnny Brenda’s stage. Drummer Chris Ward and keyboardist/vocalist Andrew Thiboldeaux threw down a slew of deep, soulful grooves with a modern day experimental twist. The audience seemed thoroughly ready for the next PiM album to arrive. 2013 is going to be a huge year for the dynamic, bearded duo. Last but not least, Norwegian Arms had everybody bobbing their heads in approval of their set that included songs from the album, another new original and a cover of Frank Ocean’s “Thinkin Bout You.” It was a special evening of music at JB’s with plenty of positive energy bouncing around the room. You can check out our pics from the night HERE. (Photo by Rachel Barrish)
