Naked Lightbulb presents:
Gun Itttt, Small Head Big Torso Vicious Grip, Lateral, Carpet Floor
1737 House
Philadelphia
October 8, 2026
Carpet Floor, Lateral, Small Head Big Torso Vicious Grip, Gun Itttt... You'd be hard pressed to find a show with more insane musical skill. 1737 was brimming with a jubilant atmosphere last week as each of those bands took to the front of the house venue to perform. Apparently it was also the birthday of one of the tenants there. The place was dense with bodies not just in the basement where the show was happening, but also in the tiny cement backyard, and the nice park-like empty lot next to the house. To anyone passing by, it probably just looked like a kegger. The basement itself, though not very large, was well kept and had some sort of sound system with speakers so the sound was nice and loud and clear (not deafening). Although this author is at an age where they should not be drinking too heavily, the intensity of the bands and fun crowd synchronized with a mysterious (and very large) Guatemalan rooster themed beer can purchased from a local bodega to have me really feeling the show. It was a good time.
I'm going to use the terms "math," "math-rock," "math-like" and "mathy" a few times in this article, so let's just get that out of the way up front. Even though Dan from Carpet Floor swears to me that they've "been playing the same songs for like a year," there is something that has them sounding exceptionally great as of late. The addition of the (newer) drummer Myles (also of the band Microgoblet) has lent some insane stick skills and added a creative spark (at least that's what I think). Whatever the case, it was a pleasure to watch all the tricky and also subtle bass and drum interactions happening. The bassist Drew is usually quite immobile during the performances, but her bass lines are anything but that. Carpet Floor could easily fit into a genre like math-rock, but Dan's songs tend to use that as a starting point to push back against the genre in surprising ways. He seems just as adept at writing pretty, melodic, and sometimes even psychedelic material. Songs like "Taste" to me feel pastel like, a description that people wouldn't typically associate with them. They remind me of Polvo in the way they are adept at going from angular to pretty and not being pinned down by narrow thinking around genres.
The next up, Lateral, gave a muscular performance. This was my second time seeing them and I was impressed with how the show dipped into really strong emotional moments. They have, like all the bands on the bill that night, an angular mathy aspect to them, but they really shine at pulling off these intense emotive moments. Besides their prog or math tones, you can feel melodic, metal, some great post-punk, and noisy '90s energy they use to create their own thing. The trio are very confident players and Eric (the singer/guitarist) builds some great moments on the busy structure the band lays down as foundation. This is doubled with his ability to pelt vocal lines along with buzzing distorted guitar lines through that powerful Marshall rig (see video below for good example). I found myself getting swept up with their excursions. They're a great live band and I'm going to go ahead and use the word "gutsy" to describe their sound.
I'm ashamed to say this was my first time seeing Small Head Big Torso Vicious Grip. If you wanna talk about a visceral audience reaction to a performance, this band took the cake. My toes are black and blue from being trampled on and the young crowd of slam dancers were fist pumping and singing along to all the words and changes, if that tells you how much the music resonated with the people there. SHBTVG, besides having also some of the mathy structure present tonight, flexed a strong experimental electronic bent executed by a very-capable-of-playing-live duo of noise-rock enthusiasts who are steeped in industrial and hip-hop/trip-hop/grime and also invested deeply in human rights. Their bandcamp's description puts it best: "Pro-Phillies, anti-fascist noise rock cut from the ribs of Adam and Steve screaming revolution to legs that want to dance." I highly recommend their split with Giant if you want to hear a wild recording. For whatever descriptions are worth, both Gio (vocals, guitar) and Rowan (drumming, etc.) are compelling as hell to watch and you're going to get a REALLY intense performance wherever you catch them play. Just witness the video:
Speaking of intense, there's a reason Gun Itttt is always last on the bill. I mean, who the hell wants to follow that. They are at a point where virtuosity and idiosyncratic style merge perfectly. Performances feel like waves of arpeggiated phrases unfolding with interlinking precision. Every little phrase is answered by Mario's flabbergasting speed and precision. There was a free form sequence they tried out during the show tonight that really displayed Alex's dexterity on the keys, tuning everyone in to the agility he could muster. The thing is, some technicians maybe could try and repeat this kind of thing, but these guys are doing this almost off the cuff with a creative verve that makes each performance sparkle in a way that really captures audience attention and feeling. Besides being impressive, this shit is also pretty as hell. It definitely mixed with my aforementioned rooster brew to produce a thoroughly happy and impressed music witness tonight.
