Our weekly concert picks: May 27–June 2

Picks for the first unofficial week of summer!

Friday, May 29: The Chairman Dances

West Philly's The Chairman Dances craft quirky, wordy, art pop, inspired by literature, art, and classical music — such as the 1985 outtake of John Adams's Nixon in China, from which they take their name. Formed in 2010 by friends Eric Krewson and Ben Rosen (then employed, appropriately, at U Penn's rare books department) — these guys are much more likely to seduce you with their counterparts than slay you with their riffs, crafting intricate, layered songs that come together thanks to shimmering guitars, horns, and strings. (It should be noted that most of them hold music degrees as well). We first fell in love with the band a few years back, when we heard scintillating single "Prophetess" — since then, they've released two full-length records, and are now gearing up to release new EP Samantha Says. Recorded with the help of Daniel Smith (Sufjan Stevens), Samantha Says reminds us the similarly-titled track by The Velvet Underground and indeed, the whole EP tingles with breezy Wes Anderson vibes and delicate, gorgeous melodies. They celebrates its release this Friday at The Rotunda; come fill your Friday with gently magical vibes.

7:30 at The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut St., $10. Tickets available at the door.

Friday, May 29: Metz and Fidlar

Holy punk explosion! Metz and Fidlar are North American punk bands, the former born of the Ontario basement scene and the latter of the LA skate scene. Both first made a splash a few years back, when their debut records (the punishing II and the party-ready FIDLAR) earned props from all the right places; since then they've successfully transitioned from buzz-band-people-forget-about-2-years-later to stalwarts of the scene, backing up solid debuts with successful tours (with Death from Above 1979 and The Pixies respectively) and fun, energy-filled shows. Metz first came together in 2007, spending years perfecting their live show before signing to Sub Pop and releasing II in 2012. Inspired by post-punk acts like Jesus Lizard, Fugazi, and Drive Like Jehu, their tunes are aggressive, acerbic, and ferocious, the type of music you wanna drink a lot of beer and headbang to. Fidlar formed in 2009, after a chance meeting at producer Rob Schnapf's (Elliott Smith) studio, and bonded over a love of '90s pop-punk (think Blink 182, The Offspring). Taking their name from their motto (that's "F--- It Dog, Life's a Risk") and their attitude from the punk upbringing (members Elvis and Max Kuehn are the sons of T.S.O.L. keyboardist Greg Kuehn), they quickly won fans with party-punk jams about cheap beer and weed. This Friday, they join forces for what promises to be a very raucous double-header; Philly let's get ready to rage.

8:30 at Union Transfer, 1026 Spring Garden St., $15. Tickets available here.

Saturday, May 30: The Roots Picnic

Over the past near-decade, The Roots Picnic has become one of our very favorite ways to celebrate the unofficial kick-off to summer, and this year (its 8th) promises to be no different. More than a dozen artists will take the stage during the day-long festival, including The Boys of Soul themselves. Hipster R&B group The Weeknd headline, alongside neo-soul queen Erykah Badu (backed by The Roots), with Phantogram, A$AP Rocky, and Hiatus Kaiyote rounding out the line-up. We're especially psyched for hip-hop progenitor and beat-box master Afrika Bambaataa, plus "DJ Windows 98," the very amusing DJ moniker of Arcade Fire front man Win Butler (who we're hoping will play all '90s hits) — although part of the fun is also discovering new acts you never heard of who totally blow you away (past scene stealers have included local genre-spanning duo Pattern Is Movement, plus Philly hip-hop hero Chill Moody). Add food, beer, sunshine, and sweet waterfront views, and you have all the ingredients for a perfect weekend hang. Summer in Philly, let's do this!

11:00 at Festival Pier at Penn's Landing, Columbus Blvd. at Spring Garden St., sold out.

Saturday, May 30: Mischief Brew

Mischief Brew is a Philadelphia-based anarco-punk band, who for the past 15 years have stomped and hollered their way across the U.S. and Europe, touting Crass-era politics and self-expression. But they're also so much more than that. Originally formed as a solo project for Erik Peterson, the band's gone through several evolutions and stylistic shifts, moving from a stripped-down folk project to a stomping, gypsy-punk collective to a complex brew of all the of above, while never losing their DIY sensibilities or ability to completely rile an audience (when I saw them at Human BBQ last month, they totally slayed, whipping the drunk and exhausted crowd into a frenzy). Since forming, they've released more than a half-dozen full lengths and countless EPs, splits, and singles — and this Saturday, unleash their latest, This Is Not for Children, with a pair of back-to-back shows at Boot & Saddle. Inspired by the grit and realness of city life, Children was recorded in and celebrates Philadelphia in all its glory, from the flourishing DIY scene to the weirdos at the corner bar. We <3 these guys because their definition of punk is creative, uncompromising, and welcoming, and because seeing them live is a truly invigorating experience.

3:30 and 8:30 at Boot & Saddle, 1131 S. Broad St., $12 ($20 for both). Tickets available here and here.

Saturday, May 30: Purity Ring

One of the greatest challenges of any musical artist is being able to translate the same mood and vibe you create via recordings into a live performance — maintaining that same sense of anger, or glee, or effortless cool, even if you're not feeling particularly angry, or gleeful, or cool. Canadian dream-pop duo Purity Ring have this figured out. On record, the band crafts wispy, ethereal concoctions full of dark imagery and fairy-tale vibes that are equal parts creepy and comforting — matching Megan James's airy vocals with Corin Roddick's keyboarding pounding and knob turning. Live, they create this same energy with the help of a unique stage set-up involving dozens of lanterns and a self-made instrument for Roddick, that links his tinkering to a series of glowing orbs — for a result that feels fully immersive and slightly unsettling (but in a good way). Since 2011, they've been on the rise, earning a coveted "Best New Music" designation for their 2012 debut Shrines. They're now touring behind their sophomore record Another Eternity and will play two shows this Saturday — come get lost in their macabre fantasy.

6:30 at 10:30 at Union Transfer, 1026 Spring Garden St., $22–25, tickets here and here.

See also: The Orange Drop at Kung Fu Necktie (Wednesday, May 27), Morning River Band at Boot & Saddle (Thursday, May 28), Ivan & Alyosha at Johnny Brenda's (Thursday, May 28), Northern Liberties at Johnny Brenda's (Friday, May 29), Gene Ween Does Billy Joel at Underground Arts (Friday, May 29), Glocca Morra (last show) at First Unitarian Church (Saturday, May 30), Hutch & Kathy (of The Thermals) at Boot & Saddle (Tuesday, June 2).