A few months ago, my dad and I watched an old recording of The Beatles playing “Revolution” live. The performance was dynamic, impassioned, and electric; they went ballistic.
“It’s sad,” he says. “Nobody does this nowadays, especially live.”
Unfortunately, my old man was right. I tried to come up with a group that matched this energy, but I drew a blank. I couldn’t give him a name until Feb. 19, when I watched a band of four 20–somethings blow the roof off of Fishtown’s Kung Fu Necktie: The Vices.
The Vices are an indie–rock four–piece from Groningen, Netherlands currently in the United States on their second American tour following the release of their new album Before It Might Be Gone. Though the group officially formed in 2019, they’ve been making music together for much longer.
“Simon and I, I think we started out jamming when we were 13, and I met him at high school,” Floris van Luijtelaar, lead singer and guitarist for the band, says, referencing their bass player. “After playing together for quite some time and we had been playing with Mathijs [Louwsma] for a while,” he continues, speaking on the group’s drummer. “In 2019, we really started The Vices.”
It was then that the trio started their first leg of live performances, but they felt unprepared.
“I think two weeks before the first show [we] were like, ‘We can't do this properly,’” Floris admits. “We need someone to play keys and guitar … and a lot more.”
Their sound lacked a sonic glue, something or someone to hold everything together. That’s when jack–of–all trades Jonathan Kruizenga became the fourth and final member of the band.
“They asked me to play a few shows with them, and then we did. And then it turned out well,” Jonah shares. “And then I stuck around!”
The past five–or–so years have been a whirlwind for the group. They’ve performed all across Europe and North America: the 2022 Dauwpop festival in the Netherlands, the 2024 SXSW festival in Austin, a 26–city North American tour in 2024, and more. Over the years, they’ve built a loyal United States following.
“We get a lot of messages from people that can’t wait for the shows,” according to Floris. “And we can’t wait either.”
As they’ve built their fanbase and musical reputation, their sound has developed into a fusion of alternative rock, indie pop, and shoegaze. The eclectic sound derives from a mix of each band member’s unique taste and inspiration.
“We all listen to a lot of different music, also, apart from each other,” Jonathan says. “I listen to a lot of electronic music too, and Floris hates it, for example. The drummer—he likes Toto, but the rest of us, we don’t. And Simon [Bleeker] is really into more heavy stuff; he likes punk and really Woodstock, really ‘60s psychedelic stuff. Everybody has their own inspirations and puts their own mark.”
“We listen to a lot of [The Rolling] Stones too, and The Velvet Underground,” Floris adds.
This fusion of musical interests resulted in their latest release Before It Might Be Gone. The record covers themes of freedom, recovery, and living in the moment, all through the lens of genre fusion and an unconventional alt–rock sound. You can hear each band member’s taste shine through on different tracks: the psychedelic flair of “Hope You Know” and the electronic driving beat of “Gold” are shining examples.
Following my first listen to their new record, I was hooked. The album dominated my February 2025 rotation, but I wasn’t sure what to expect from their Kung Fu Necktie appearance in Philly. Would the performance live up to the zeal of the record? It turns out—experiencing The Vices live? Revolution.
It was 8:32 p.m., and opener The Noisy delivered a cover of “If It Makes You Happy” by Sheryl Crow worthy of its own article. The crowd was an assortment of millennial hipsters with septum piercings, members of Penn’s own Penn Records, and my boyfriend, James; I felt at home.
The Vices strutted onto the stage decked out in unabashedly low–cut, V–neck T–shirts and tousled European hairstyles. Despite the sea of wires and guitar pedals (a scene fit for chaos), their set began with quiet vocalization from lead singer Floris, gradually accompanied by his fellow bandmates. They opened with the title track “Before It Might Be Gone,” and it didn’t take them long to explode into sound.
The concert was a series of all the tracks I’ve grown to love: the upbeat lead single “Shaking Shoulder,” the crushing banger “How Does It Feel,” and my personal favorite “Only For a While,” with a mix of emo–rock intonations and out–of–the–blue shrieks. Each song felt like an entirely new experience, linked by an absolutely “rock–out” feel. But maintaining unique sonic identities is something The Vices prioritize in their songwriting.
“We approach every song like it has its own personality,” Floris rightfully exclaims.
As I was enveloped in The Vices’ epic declaration of rock ‘n’ roll, I couldn’t help but get lost in each musician’s journey into their flow state. Floris stuck his tongue out and toyed with the audience, Jonathan shut his eyes and got lost in the sound of his own heavenly back–up vocals, Simon couldn’t help but smile at their sonic marvel, and Mathijs hit those drums like there was no tomorrow.
Their energy and intensity merged into one collective “bounce,” as the group operated as a single unit. This rhythm was only interrupted by moments of insanity: Floris shredding into a backbend or Jonah hitting a high note on the back–up vocals that perfectly pierced the room.
Their final song and the climax of the performance was a song called “For My Mind” from their previous album Unknown Affairs; to my surprise, they saved the best for last. This eccentric finale summarized everything that was wonderful about The Vices’ live performance style: shredding and drumming into oblivion, exchanging playful glances with audience members, and emitting unadulterated energy. What floored me most in the finale, however, were the surrealist lyrics of “For My Mind”: “I don’t glow ‘til I’m crawl, it breaks my mind.” It broke my mind too.
I left Kung Fu Necktie gladly, with ringing ears and an ever–present grin. All I could think of, in the aftermath of this mind–blowing performance, was that I could finally prove my dad wrong: The Vices have it, right here and right now.
