8.18.2006
show report: philadelphia
Harry and the Potters at the First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia: Oh. My. God.
The show started with the Hungarian Horntails, fronted by seven-year-old Darius, backed by his 4-year-old brother.
Yes, this is true.
They had a sort of death metal vibe, but really high-pitched. Also, very cute. "Kill the Basilisk" was a highlight.
Next came Draco and the Malfoys, a muscular rock duo (also two brothers) with such songs as "Your Family Is Poor" (about Ron Weasley) and an awesome reinterpretation of the 80s pop classic "99 red balloons": "99 deatheaters." Some fine trash-talking about the Potters, too.
Then it was time for the main event. And here's the thing: Harry and the Potters are actually a perfectly delightful indie-rock band, who happen to sing only songs about the Harry Potter books. They are, again, brothers, both of whom are dressed Potter-ish; their origin myth involves time travel that allows the Year 4 Harry to form a band with the Year 7 Harry. Their best-loved song may be "Save Ginny Weasley," with the memorable lyric "are you petrified of being petrified?"
It's true that this was the first show I've been to in at least three years, so I may be guilty of overenthusiasm, but golly! It was swell. And not only because of the crowd, which perfectly illustrated the venn-diagram overlap of hipsters and geeks. Some of whom came in costume. Some of whom brought their knitting. Or their parents.
The show started with the Hungarian Horntails, fronted by seven-year-old Darius, backed by his 4-year-old brother.
Yes, this is true.
They had a sort of death metal vibe, but really high-pitched. Also, very cute. "Kill the Basilisk" was a highlight.
Next came Draco and the Malfoys, a muscular rock duo (also two brothers) with such songs as "Your Family Is Poor" (about Ron Weasley) and an awesome reinterpretation of the 80s pop classic "99 red balloons": "99 deatheaters." Some fine trash-talking about the Potters, too.
Then it was time for the main event. And here's the thing: Harry and the Potters are actually a perfectly delightful indie-rock band, who happen to sing only songs about the Harry Potter books. They are, again, brothers, both of whom are dressed Potter-ish; their origin myth involves time travel that allows the Year 4 Harry to form a band with the Year 7 Harry. Their best-loved song may be "Save Ginny Weasley," with the memorable lyric "are you petrified of being petrified?"
It's true that this was the first show I've been to in at least three years, so I may be guilty of overenthusiasm, but golly! It was swell. And not only because of the crowd, which perfectly illustrated the venn-diagram overlap of hipsters and geeks. Some of whom came in costume. Some of whom brought their knitting. Or their parents.
