A Lineup Of Great Bands Took Over Neon Jungle Closing Out January

Great Bands Take Over Neon Jungle

Written by Cutty 

Neon Jungle has turned into the go-to for a good DIY basement rock show. Throughout the month, they have had talented band after talented band, and last Saturday was their biggest one yet. Jersey Watch’s Wes was in attendance and has given us all of the exclusives from the night. To start off, you couldn’t have picked a better day to come see great bands. The day before the Eagles stamped their way to the Super Bowl, it felt like Philly knew, as you could feel the energy in the room all night. This night was special. Mint Green hasn't played in Philadelphia in three years, and the majority of the bands have known each other since 2019. Even though it was one of Neon Jungle's biggest shows to date, there was still a sense of community in the audience. You can really feel Neon Jungle building its loyal tribe, which was great for the lineup of the night, including Precious Little Life, Latchkey Kids, Alliteration, and the headliner of the night, Mint Green. We were able to hear from all of the bands, and even Neon Jungle promoter Tara said, "You could feel the vibes in your body when they were playing on a spiritual level, not just psychically"—talking about Mint Green. So the bands definitely did not disappoint from start to finish.

The night starts off great with Precious Little Life, and the people knew they were in for a good night because it did not feel like an opening set. They set the energy expectations right away; they had a grand opening planned. Grabbing the sold-out crowd's attention early, they said they even changed up their set and performed some new music. At the end of their set, the audience showed their appreciation by applauding loudly. They were also grateful that we were able to speak with them after their set. "It was great to be able to play a show again, and we appreciate you having us and putting on a great show." - Precious Little Life, It was good to see that we were in for a good night.

This started a night of excitement for everyone; people were networking, sharing stories, and maybe even a dirty Shirley or two. Latchkey Kids, who performed last month at Neon Jungle, were a band everyone was happy to see return. They took advantage of the moment for sure, performing some fan favorites from the past that the tribe had heard before. You could hear people in the crowd singing their favorite part of the song.  They're in the top tier of playing their style and sound. With the crowd loving the music, you can see they have fun performing together, which helps them bring a high level of energy while performing. They also threw in some new songs from their latest project, "The Week You Ran Away" which had people rocking all night. They also had merchandise for the people who wanted it after their performance. We were able to get a word from them when they got off stage. "This show at Neon Jungle was the perfect essence of a DIY Philly show. 2 fantastic out of town touring bands working together with 2 passionate locals. We became friends with everyone on the bill + felt at home with Neon Jungle’s dedicated staff. Neon Jungle is bringing together the curation of the West Philly indie scene and energizing it with the Temple College scene to make a beautiful mixture of art + vibrance!" - Hanny, the lead singer in Latchkey Kids

It was electrified all night with energy, and the band Alliteration kicked it up a notch. This band stood out as one of the gladiators of the night. They brought high energy and eventually, the Moshpit circle opened up and everyone went ham. You could feel the energy in the room lift as they performed. They brought a stage presence that showed they were truly passionate about their craft. They wanted you to really feel the words of the music, and to express every emotion you felt. Their performance was marked as next level by some of the crowd members; it was an experience you can only get at Neon Jungle. They set the bar high and also dished out a lot of love, as you can hear the lead singer giving the other bands flowers throughout their set. They were also showing massive love to Mint Green and the Neon Jungle staff, and you could tell they were very grateful for the love shown to them. Their loud and demanding performance left memories with the Neon Jungle members for years to come. We spoke with them after the night was done, and they expressed their gratitude. "It was a great lineup and a surreal time playing with everyone! Mint Green was amazing, Latchkey Kids killed it, which we weren't surprised about since we played with them at a New Paltz DIY festival. Plus seeing Kev from Precious Little Life was awesome cuz they introduced us to some of our favorite bands today!" - Alliteration 

The energy was set, the people were present, and we had one more band for the night. It was the moment everyone was waiting for; Mint Green was up next. You could feel the excitement in the room as they started to get ready. The crowd did not take Mint Green’s status lightly, making them feel the gratification they had for them to be performing. They had the crowd locked in during their performance. In between songs, it was quiet because of the command Mint Green had on the crowd. The silence was broken by the engineer, Mask, giving praise and saying "Damn that shit was hot!" It was the most focused crowd we'd seen thus far, Mint Green came well prepared for the grateful crowd, as they came with exclusive lighters, merchandise, and even vinyl for purchase. When they started their set, they did not disappoint the Philly crowd. Their music quality matched their presentation, as you could hear every instrument so clearly during their performance. They made sure to give energy to everyone in the room by also having a song that was for everyone during their set, floating between high energy rock to an intimate setting, which was pleasing to the Philly crowd. They showed off their versatility and made sure to meet the expectations of the superstars of the night. With each song they performed, you could feel the energy, which left the audience speechless. We spoke with Mint Green on their first time in Philly since Covid. "It was our first Philly show in three years because the last one was January 2020 before COVID & we had people come thru that said they were from Baltimore, Connecticut, and Boston, which was cool" - Mint Green 

 

The night was blissful, and people left happier than ever as the last show in January came to an end. The crowd left talking about the next show coming on February 10th. Follow Neon Jungle for more details.

Photos by @wesleyandproductions