Five months after they played Concourse Dance Bar, Sarah Shook & The Disarmers returned to Philly with a similar set—along with the same opener, Scout Gillett, and their shared soulful pedal-steel player, Nick Larimore—and Shook for one was glad to be back on MilkBoy’s familiar stage.
They sounded fantastic, full-blooded country and rock and punk all melded into a single glorious sound. I’ve been trying to scale back a bit on shows and not necessarily see every great band every time they come around, but I’m glad I didn’t miss this one.
As for Gillett, she didn’t break her tooth this time, wisely draping her mic in a gauzy scarf, and she mixed her moody tunes with chipper observations about our city—specifically how random Philadelphians on the block around the venue responded to quizzing. Both her band and her banter were well-received.
Highlights: Sarah Shook & The Disarmers’ “Been Lovin’ You Too Long,” “Sidelong,” “Heal Me,” “JCBC,” “The Nail,” “If It’s Poison,” “Dwight Yoakam, “Fuck Up” (during which, appropriately enough, Shook broke a guitar string) and a new one called “Backsliders”; Gillett’s “No Roof No Floor” and “Cherry Blossoms”
—M.J. Fine; photos by Chris Sikich
