Attack Dog
PhilaMOCA
531 N. 12th St.
Philadelphia
May 2, 2024
Attack Dog ambushed an avant-garde audience inside PhilaMOCA — not with snarling words or slobbery chops, but with catchy riffs and puppy dog charm.
The Philly-based boy band closed a three-set show Tuesday night with springer-spaniel-level energy alongside rock crew Phil Spector’s Fun and touring Tokyo group LOOLOWNINGEN & The Far East Idiots.
I had traveled to the venue to see the latter group, a self-described “avant-punk trio/ alternative blues trio with ink wash painting-like sounds & unicursal rhythms for all wanderers.” But I stayed for the dog show.
Both bands that preceded Attack Dog seemed at least partly preoccupied with marketing. LOOLOWNINGEN’s Band Camp boasts some pretty flowery language. The Instagram Bio for Phil Spector’s Gun also suggests an affinity for labeling music with pre-set categories. The group sells itself as “psychedelic country rock/ melodic garage punk.” Their lead singer donned star-rimmed sunglasses and the player of a yin-yang colored guitar distributed tambourines to crowd members Thursday night.
I’m not judging! It makes sense that producers of genre-bending music have to be particular with their language. And as someone who works with words, it was definitely LOOLOWNINGEN’s self-description that got me out the door to see them play.
But it was a treat to show up and see yet a third band primarily focused on just having fun… while still killing it on stage.
The four musicians who played in Attack Dog Thursday — Brandon Washburn, Paul Mangan, John Duesler, and Dylan Michael — were clearly collectively younger than any of the other bands playing that night. But their cherubic faces, youthful exuberance, and Dylan’s Big Time Rush T‑shirt and skinny jeans were not warning signs or distractions, but merely gleeful additions to a seriously fun sound.
The band pairs raspy vocals with peppy guitar licks just snappy enough to captivate without worming into OCD-unforgettable territory.
On stage, vocalist and guitarist Dylan Michael jumped and can-canned around his mic stand, contorting his body with comically jutting movements while shorter. Lead singer and string-player Paul Mangan demonstrated comparatively less hyperbolic expressions of musical flair, at times raising his bass up into the air and dipping his cap-covered head into his shoulder.
Though their music had a teenage-type resonance — packed with puppy-like moodiness, lightly whining guitar lines and percussive punches as strong as hormonal fluctuations — the live translation of that sound was pretty pristine.
I’m not versed in music theory, but I found myself wondering whether the band’s music could be considered math rock given the complexity of several guitar parts performed impeccably, sometimes in two-part harmony, with a tight but never terse sense of forward excitement. Still, the band didn’t fall into what I’ll dub the “too-talented youth trap” of showing off their skills rather than focusing on musical integrity. Any excess energy was channeled through big smiles and goofily-fulfilling dance moves. There were no testosterone-infused 30-minute guitar solos to be seen.
Only two of the songs the band played Thursday night — “Young Lion” and “Body Heat” — have actually been recorded. The rest remain unreleased.
Attack Dog reminded me that live music is supposed to be about keeping it real — and random. Whether or not Attack Dog’s often chaotic, highly energetic rock music is exactly my taste doesn’t matter. Having fun with your friends, staying open to new sounds, and fine tuning talent to share in-person matters a lot more.
NEXT
Attack Dog is next playing on May 18 at National Sokols in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Listen to their recorded work here.
