Remember Sports, Cusp, Maneka
First Unitarian Church
2125 Chestnut St.
Philadelphia
May 7, 2026
In a word, I’d use “breezy” to describe this three-band spring homecoming show for Remember Sports at the Church. Finishing a nationwide tour that began at the beginning of last month, the indie punk quartet pulled up with Chicago’s Cusp, who joined the trek’s final leg on May 2 in Milwaukee. Generally, you can hope for a few three-band gigs amidst the spring touring season onslaught that are like this. They’re the ones that bring a courteous and light-hearted crowd there to jump around, but not too much, leave basically no trash behind, and don’t spend more than a half hour in the venue after music stops.
Opening the gig was recent Philly transplant and ex-Speedy Ortiz guitarist Devin McKnight in his band Maneka. Maneka has been going a while here in Philly, and I think this is probably my second time catching them since they’ve been local. For me, Maneka kinda hits like a slowed down, grungier version of Dinosaur Jr. with a lot of tonal guitar qualities and off-kilter leads that remind me of Boston greats Pile. Devin has a lot in common with J Mascis in terms of vocal rhythms, even letting his falsetto fly sometimes. R5 young boul and local Fortress promoter Sam Goren said Devin’s voice reminded him of avant-garde crooner Scott Walker. I could kinda see that comparison, but Maneka’s music doesn’t scare the living shit out of me.
Cusp and their particular brand of jangly indie punk were next. The list of attributes they share with Remember Sports is long and the kind of show they’re putting together with this pairing makes total sense. I feel like this is the kind of music that would work really well in one of those late '90s/early 2000's Steve Madden bobblehead ads that used to be everywhere. Upon researching, this ad used proprietary electronic music which is admittedly much more cutting edge, but I’m sticking to what I said. Just imagine their song “Oh Man,” off their 2025 album What I Want Doesn’t Want Me Back, put over the commercial I’m linking below. Totally different vibe but it still works, in my humble opinion.
I’d say one of the biggest differences between Cusp and Remember Sports is the pianos from Cusp member Tessa O’Connell, which takes the band a little bit away from the clear Superchunk influence both bands share and puts them in leagues with bands like Slingshot Dakota and MIDI & The Modern Dance. There’s a melodic whimsy that puts them on a different place in the emotional spectrum created by both bands on this show. It’s not quite twee, but it’s close.
What I Want Doesn't Want Me Back - Cusp - Bandcamp
Slingshot Dakota - Until The Day That I Die
MIDI And The Modern Dance - Everything I Touch (Just Falls Apart)
Remember Sports delivered an hour of their own jangles, but where Cusp are more indie than punk, Remember Sports take their Superchunk influence more in the direction of bands like Swearin’ or Gladie, which is to say, they’re a little more punk than indie. Singer/guitarist Carmen Perry utilizes the intentional voice cracking falsetto of artists like Hop Along’s Frances Quinlan or Alanis Morissette, at times fearlessly belting out melodies at peak volume. There’s simply no question that she’s a strong singer. At times, the band would hit a sort of folk punk stride reminiscent of bands like Defiance, OH, but would lean more into the punk side of it than the folk side. Beyond that, Remember Sports has a couple songs with playful backing loops that become catchy refrains, often drawing immediate cheers from the audience as they introduce each song.
This tour comes on the heels of the February release of their fifth album, The Refrigerator, their first on Philly-to-California label Get Better Records, marking a departure from their decade-long partnership with San Francisco’s Father/Daughter Records.
Remember Sports: The Refrigerator - Bandcamp
