Philadelphia Grand Jury

"...one of the most exciting bands in Sydney right now..."

Philadelphia Grand Jury
Hope Is For Hopers
Boomtown/Shock

Philadelphia Grand Jury, or the Philly Jays as they’re affectionately known, are one of the most exciting bands in Sydney right now. I say this with qualification simply because I have not heard every single Sydney band, though I like to think I've seen and heard a fairly sizeable cross-section, and they are certainly the most exciting I have had the joy to witness in recent times. With talk of their maniacally energetic live shows spreading across the scene and the country, their debut album Hope is for Hopers has been highly anticipated. And with good reason.

There is not a single track on this album that lets the whole thing down. No namby-pamby balladry shit. No extended, self-indulgent jams. These are brilliantly crafted pop songs from a fiercely talented rock band. Radio-length tunes that hit hard, hit quickly, and then fuck off once they're done. They stick in your head and trash the place. They're brilliant.

The fuzzy guitar intro of opener 'Ready To Roll' sets the scene for the album’s wild pace, with the furious drumming of now-departed Dan W. Sweat providing a heavy foundation for the seamless combination of singer/guitarist Berkfinger's melodies and MC Bad Genius' bass and electric piano lines throughout. They sure don't mess around. Current single 'The Good News' is a delightful modern ode detailing the cautious exhilaration of a long-distance lover's potential return, while 'Foot In My Mouth' takes a garage edge to proceedings. Radio favourite 'Going To The Casino (Tomorrow Night)' is a hard rocking tune with a subdued sting in the tail, “Then it hits me/That no-one's in love with me.”

Production here is handled by Berkfinger, an engineer at Surry Hills' BigJesusBurger studios, who has worked on albums by a massive chunk of local artists including Richard In Your Mind, Belles Will Ring, Cuthbert and the Nightwalkers, The Maple Trail, Holly Throsby, Wolfmother and Sparkadia. Suffice to say, it's a very well produced record, which on first impressions didn’t seem like such a good thing. The appeal of the Philly Jays' live show lies in the chaos, the distortion, the dismantled stage, the smoke, the screams and the sweat. It would be impossible to ever recreate this and package it as a CD – and foolish to expect it – but there was some initial disappointment that someone outside of the band wasn’t at the helm.

Perhaps this is just another side to the Philly Jays; the perfectly crafted, slick and professionally produced pop album to counteract the crazed frenzy and willful damage of the live act. It's not at all bad, just different, and shows a diversity to Philadelphia Grand Jury's music and talent. A band without such depth could never have pulled it off.
Years after first immersing myself in music, never to return, I still find it amazing that something as straightforward as three men with instruments can evoke such joy. Someone please send them overseas now – Philadelphia Grand Jury could very well be one of our finest exports.
- Mess And Noise Website

"...a killer debut album, big, bouncy and shiny with just the right amount of grit and insidious melody...."

Philadelphia Grand Jury
Hope Is For Hopers
Boomtown/Shock

4/5

I first saw The Phillies (as they are affectionately known) at the Laneway Festival and they stood out early in the day as a band in sync with each other and harnessing a good slab of enthusiasm in their music and performance.

Their debut has been carried into the public arena by a plethora of blog and indie ‘net’-work hype, something that can be a death knell for a new band. My first spin through Hope Is For Hopers immediately showed that these gents are up to the praise and publicity. They swing, swerve and barge their way through 12 tracks of upbeat indie, power pop and garage rock that feels like it was timed perfectly for the summer season. The Phillies will be huge on the pending festival circuit.

The garage rock side of the band is similar to The Hives with faux preacher yelps and exultations plus some Jay Reatard-isms on tracks like ‘Ready To Roll’ and the hoot and holler of single ‘Going To The Casino (Tomorrow Night)’ – guaranteed to get any crowd bouncing on the front foot.

Props must be given to the bass playing on the album. ‘When Your Boyfriend Comes Back To Town’ has a rolling strut of a line, totally catchy. The same can be said for ‘Growing Up Alone’ with its 60s melodic bubbliness, ‘No You Don’t’ with its distorted and minimal bass riffage and the slow grind of the brilliantly titled ‘The New Neil Young’.

Elsewhere Berkfinger and MC Bad Genius display their influences in an almost celebratory manner. ‘I’m Gonna Kill You’ comes off like the ADD lovechild of The Strokes and Regurgitator, ‘Wet Winter Holiday’ shows shades of Sleepy Jackson and new indie poster kids Girls.

They avoid falling into basic rock traps by adding some great instrumentation like piano, ukelele and handclaps that add a nice 60‘s power pop vibe to proceedings. They also exhibit a great sense of humour with the Gloria opening chords on ‘I Don’t Want To Party’ and the carefree and slightly self deprecating lyrics throughout Hope Is For Hopers.

The verdict on this one is that the boys have put together a killer debut album, big, bouncy and shiny with just the right amount of grit and insidious melody to guarantee the album’s appeal won’t wear thin quickly.
- Doubtful Sounds Blog

"...the boys literally throw themselves into the set..."

Guitarist and lead vocalist, Berkfinger, bass and keys player, MC Bad Genius and drummer Dan W Sweat, played an explosive set that left this reviewer with a grin from ear-to-ear. With their own brand of garage rock that sounds like a mixture of The Mess Hall with a bit of The Hives tongue in cheek fun, the boys literally throw themselves into the set which includes alternative radio hits, Ready to Roll and Going to The Casino, with the crowd lapping up every moment. - Fasterlouder, April 2009

"...Their sound was pure and strong and gave great honesty to their recorded work..."

The supporting boys, Philadelphia Grand Jury – or the Philly Jays as we were invited to call them – are well and truly deserving of a mention.

Their sound was pure and strong and gave great honesty to their recorded work. A handful of devoted fans mouthed all the lyrics, paying testament to the quick rise of good Australian music. The power of their show continued as the glasses of their frontman became collateral damage in the heat of I’m Going to Kill You and a triumphant cheer followed as he haphazardly bent them back into shape.

But the conclusion was perhaps their most spectacular effort. Starting with a feedback which felt as if the room might blow, transformed quickly into an all inclusive group performance with the crowd was handed (or thrown) the guitar, bass, two drum sticks and the symbol and asked to play along. - Fasterlouder, July 2009

"...reputation as one of the live acts to check out..."

Sydney’s Philadelphia Grand Jury have established a reputation as one of the live acts to check out, and tonight they don’t disappoint. Announcing their arrival with a pre-recorded crowd address, the trio churn out thumping soul-rock, the excellent Going To The Casino, Ready To Roll and I’m Going To Kill You recalling The Sonics in their prime. The Good News sees the Philly Jays in piano-pop mode, however all subtleties go out the window once burly bassist MC Bad Genius disrobes to his underwear during the noisy set finish, all the while keeping an axe murderer look on his bearded face. Vocalist Berkfinger subsequently apologises for his bandmate’s excessive body hair and regales us with a hilarious encore rendition of Jay-Z’s 99 Problems. What could possibly go wrong? - Rave Magazine, July 2009

"...This group is absolutely smoking at the moment!..."

The following act was Philadelphia Grand Jury or the self-described, Philly Jays. This group is absolutely smoking at the moment! Back in June 2008 I saw these guys playing perhaps one of their first shows at Spectrum and while it’s cliché to say this, they have certainly come a long way. Having performed many a live show since, they have certainly earned their live chops and put on an energetic garage rock show at Sydney’s Factory.

The trio looks like a rather unlikely bunch but perhaps that is part of the allure. Dan W Sweat behind the drum kit is all smiles and plays like an affable Animal from the Muppets (a character in turn influenced by the antics of one Keith Moon of The Who fame.) The other two guys looked like crosses between E from Eels and lumberjacks due to their lush beards.

Beginning with ‘I Am Going To Kill You’ there were plenty of infectious and trashy riffs courtesy of bassist, MC Bad Genius and guitarist, Berkfinger. The latter provided some melodious vocals and the two did some animated jumping around the stage, making the crowd soon realise they were in for something special. The latter obliged by clapping along to ‘Ready To Roll’.

The group used their pre-recorded intros between songs and thankfully we did get a couple of words from Berkfinger after he broke a guitar string later on and had to borrow another. Some of the comments were good little witticisms but others were your standard between-song banter.

By ‘Wet Winter Holiday’ the crowd had really loosened up and were having a cracking good time, cheering at their new favourite musicians. Plenty more crunchy riffs and many a homage back to the days of rockabilly abounded, but they also kept things raw and contemporary, at times reminding this reviewer of The Living End.

MC Genius did some of Pete Townshend’s signature windmills (albeit, with a bass) and this was a welcome change as last time I’d seen him perform he was as motionless as late Who bassist, John Entwistle. This livelier method really complimented his lead-style of bass playing (the kind of thing Entwistle or say, Peter Hook from New Order would be proud of.)

Single, ‘Going To The Casino Tomorrow Night’ was well received and if you’ve seen the live clip on Rage then that’s pretty much what the performance was like here. For those that haven’t seen it, think of a modern equivalent to Steppenwolf’s version of ‘Born To Be Wild.’

In the final songs despite the mishap with the guitar, it was almost as though the guys were not going to let this plague the proceedings. ‘The Good News’ and ‘I Don’t Wanna Party Party (But I’m Gonna Cos She’s Fantastic)’ were crazy spectacles. In the latter, Berkfinger went for a trip in the audience while MC Genius sat and then stood on the bass drum before literally disappearing, and then Sweat forward-rolled through his drum kit.

Eventually the only person left on the stage was a snap-happy photographer deciding to get a million dollar audience shot. It really was the Philly Jays’ party by the end of their short and sharp set.

The crowd were clearly impressed by this second act because following the proceedings some of them left, making me think they had come only to witness the trio. - Liveguide, July 2009

"...one of the best live bands around the local scene at the moment..."

Philadelphia Grand Jury
Hope Is For Hopers
Boomtown/Shock
8
One of the best live bands around the local scene at the moment, there’s some pressure on the debut from Philadelphia Grand Jury to deliver the greatness of their stage shows into the studio. Fortunately for fans, it does. While the revved-up garage-rockers “Ready To Roll”, “Going To The Casino (Tomorrow Night)” and “I’m Going To Kill You” make their live set, it’s the more spacious and melodic tunes that impress most. The pretty, minimal “The Good News” is a standout, with frontman Simon ‘Berkfinger’ Berckelman contributing applicably cute lines such as, “I’d steal a tin of red paint and make a 10-foot heart in the laneway outside your house at dark.” A sweet electro-pop drumbeat and melody frame “Wet Winter Holiday”, driven home by a fantastic singalong chorus. Meanwhile, the sexy pop number “When Your Boyfriend Comes Back To Town”, with its “Thriller”-esque rhythm and fuzzed-out guitars, and the “Grease”-borrowing doowopper “Phillip’s Not In Love With You” deftly capture the fun, confidence and skill of these three.
Bronwyn Thompson
- Blunt Magazine

"...Philly Jays...are a cut above their contemporaries..."

Philadelphia Grand Jury
Hope is for Hopers
Boomtown/Shock

4 stars

“I want you to know that I’m about to get my game on,” proclaims Philadelphia Grand Jury frontman Simon “Berkfinger” Berckelman on ‘Ready to Roll’, the whirlwind statement of intent that opens his band’s debut album Hope is for Hopers.

And largely, Philadelphia Grand Jury’s game is an impressive one. This is a polished and accomplished debut that traverses everything from shouty punk pop to synth pop to summery radio-friendly, um, pop. Indeed, pop is the key word here – this album is jam-packed with instantly hummable melodies and very sharp hooks.

That’s not to say that there’s no substance to Hope is for Hopers, just that the band have a hell of a way with a melody, and pen unashamedly catchy songs. All in all, Philadelphia Grand Jury (or “the Philly Jays”, as they seem to insist on being nicknamed) are a cut above their contemporaries, and a band who look set to do very well indeed - J Mag