On the last night in Philly of alternative band Grouplove’s Seesaw tour, it’s impossible not to notice an otherwise inconspicuous Underground Arts—the line to get in trails to the end of the block. A spiraling staircase leads from the lobby down to the warehouse turned theatre, complete with a makeshift stage.
Ornamenting the entryway to this cavernous concert hall is a mural trippy enough to be at home in the basement of Pi Lam. Immediately to the right is Jesse’s Bar, where most of the crowd is huddled before the start of the show. Jesse, the manager of Underground Arts, is hard to miss—his magnificent ‘stache rivals Captain Hook’s.
A tour of the venue reveals that beyond the room where the bands play is another area used mainly for theatre and performance art. A V.I.P. lounge connects these two spaces snugly. Further back, Jesse grabs a set of keys to unlock the door to the recording studio. A red oriental rug covers the floor of the lounge area, dimly lit by Christmas lights. Glass windows look into the actual recording rooms where local and touring bands can come in for a session. At the request of the main act, live concerts in the main stage room can be recorded as well.
People casually mill about Jesse’s Bar or grab drinks at the other bar in the next room over while the openers take the stage. The space is standing room only, save for the couch a few feet from the bar, conveniently positioned near several large kegs. While the openers play, many choose to lean on the bar counter or against one of the large columns covered in posters reading “Get Lucid! The Activist Halloween Party” (October 26th for those interested) and “The Oblivions and the Strapping Fieldhands.” Colorful glass lanterns hang above the couches and bar and pools of blue light filter down in pockets interspersed throughout the venue. Other than that, the place is dark.
The venue lights up once Grouplove takes the stage, literally and figuratively. The crowd swarms the tiny stage, which features a curtain backdrop lit by strings of flashing light bulbs. The band opens with “I’m With You” and an immediate chemistry sparks between Grouplove and the audience. Female lead Hannah Hooper welcomes Philadelphia to Grouplove’s “crazy acoustic show,” and people dance wildly to the band’s good time tune “Schoolboy.” A fan shouts “I love you!” Hooper shouts “We love you back!” in the intimate setting of the venue.
The layout of Underground Arts allows for plenty of these relaxed and informal moments throughout the show. The crowd bounces along to hits “Tongue Tied” and “Ways to Go,” but neither of the band’s smash singles is by any means the peak of the performance. Folks instead take seats up on Jesse’s counter for the slower songs, swaying to the lyrics of “Hippy Hill.” “Cruel and Beautiful World” is particularly striking to hear in the small basement space, where every layer of the piece fills the room—layers one might not hear on the studio version.
After its closing number, “Colours,” Grouplove leaves the stage without an encore planned, but after chanting “One more song!” for a solid five minutes, the audience draws the band back out. The house lights have come up and the post–show music is already playing, but the band clearly developed a relationship with their audience and they don’t have the heart to let them down. Grouplove gives Philadelphia a proper goodbye and thank you, as lead singer Christian Zucconi surfs the crowd, singing “you’re bitin’ you’re bitin’ the bullet!” to a half–empty venue that sounds like it's full of screaming fans.
As Grouplove shuffles off the stage for a final time, the energy in the air is still palpable. The empty venue makes clear what helped form that close bond between the audience and the band. Underground Arts is reminiscent of a basement where neighborhood kids play for their friends; the nostalgic and friendly atmosphere offers a level of comfort hard to find in most performing arts venues. This aspect allows spectators a more fully realized arts experience, and, arguably, a better one.
