Show Notes: “There’s only one more we can play that… the three of us know” — FACS at Johnny Brenda’s, 4/8/25
To help reduce frustration and better-ensure my car will be parked in a reasonable amount of time from moment of arrival, my Johnny Brenda’s visits have a multi-block walk guarantee. I’ve been able to gauge the popularity of Fishtown by the number of blocks I’ve had to park away from Johnny Brenda’s over the years, the one or two blocks it took when I started going there in the late 00s vs. now when I’ve had to navigate the same streets multiple times hoping that a spot would miraculously become available. I’ll take a long walk over stress, especially when my goal is to simply enjoy some live music.
The Chicago-based art rock trio FACS released their latest LP, Wish Defense, in early February via Trouble In Mind Records. As a fan of the album, and newly christened fan of the band, I wanted to make sure I caught their Philly stop for this tour cycle, which took place on Tuesday, 4/8/25.
An eclectic selection of openers, both native to Philly, featured the indie pop trio Long Spells (or, Longspells) and Uniform Recording head, Soft Dystopia label founder, and musician, Jeff Zeigler.
With a touch of Feelies-adjacent nerves, Long Spells, albeit ailment-stricken, (patrons were helpfully advised to leave some space in front of the microphone to avoid whatever plague had befallen them), exhibited an appealing combination of left-of-the-dial strum, deft melody, and a tight rhythm section.
Musically warm and personable, the band’s set was met with interesting juxtaposition by Zeigler.
Placed on the venue floor in front of the stage was a clothed table heaped with a mixer, a keyboard, and a suitcase-contained soundboard with a nest of wires obscuring its rows of barely visible knobs. Zeigler, without much prompting or announcement, began to emit from his set-up some ambient swells and digital beats. Chatter continued from the audience, though that eventually died down once it was understood that we were into the evening’s second act.
This was not a spacebar performance: Zeigler looked to be composing on the spot, adding and subtracting textures and tones as his beat-laced soundscapes or patient and immersive drones held our attention, though a lot of phones were out capturing his set. I was thankful to be on the balcony, as I had an almost overhead line of sight of his tools and how he was making these sounds happen.
FACS—drummer Noah Leger, bassist Jonathan Van Herik, and vocalist / guitarist Brian Case—had already set-up onstage following Long Spells’ set. Without much by way of crowd engagement, the band launched into “When You Say” from their 2023 album, Still Life In Decay. The low-end deep and the percussion sharp, Case and Co.’s ethereal brand of art rock minimalism showcased the band’s affinity toward rhythmic imagination and manifesting expressions both eerie and curious. Just like the albums do. Case, often head-down and cross-legged when carefully picking staccato melodies, evoked Wire’s Colin Newman with his sing-speak vocal delivery.
Highlights were abundant over the course of the band’s set and I was especially impressed with how well their songs translated live. While Wish Defense unfortunately carries with it the distinction of being the final album recorded by Steve Albini before his sudden and tragic passing in 2024, and Albini’s reputation for refusing to meddle with the presentation of any band he recorded has been well-documented over his decades-long career as an engineer, there’s a high level of density to the recording that one could plausibly attribute to studio intervention. That said, songs like “Desire Path” (whose outro had me especially transfixed by Leger’s energy and precision behind his drum kit), “Sometimes Only,” and “Ordinary Voices” were replicated perfectly onstage, confirming how true to form FACS was kept for the recording.
After FACS finished their set and attempted to bid the crowd adieu, the band was talked into one more song and everyone began to throw out their requests.
“There’s only one more we can play that… the three of us know. So, how ‘bout we just play that one?” Case answered. “And everybody can get up for work tomorrow.”
The final song of the evening ended up being “Slogan” from Still Life In Decay.
I left the venue with three albums and a CD nestled under my right arm as I made the multi-block journey back to my car.
Sincerely,
Letters From A Tapehead
