Twin Peaks Fans Prove That They Would Die For "Wild Onion"

By Alyssa Moore

Photo by Brett Long

(Warning: Extreme Bias ahead)

Picture this: it’s Tuesday night. You’re at Union Transfer. I’m next to you in the crowd. “Someone, call a doctor, I think I’m vibing!” I yell. The guy next to us looks annoyed. He is not vibing, which seems impossible in such an eager crowd of Twin Peaks fans. The band begins their set with fan-favorite (and one of my most played songs of the decade) “Making Breakfast.” This classic mid-tempo upbeat banger turned the crowd of indie head boppers into a surprise pit that lasted until the end of the night. The band took a moment to thank Philly, and despite not selling out, it seemed like everyone who was anyone was at the show, because Philly knows good music. The Chicago-based band was eager to spread their wings in another iconic music city, so the show was a guaranteed fun time. Expectations were more than met.

Next, the team transitioned into Lookout Low’s first single, “Ferry Song.” Although this slow and low song is more lethargic than their other singles, it still capitalized on the band’s iconic croon tunes, relying heavily on the cracking, everyman-vocals and basic guitar chords that the group flourishes in. “Come on baby, come on down, you might be the only one” rendered by a collection of early 20s fans felt more like a chaotic choir than a rowdy concert, a nice moment away from the explosive bangers the rest of the concert thrived on.

(Note: It was about this time that I realized the lead singer, Clay Frankel, kind of looks like Alex Wolff from Naked Brothers Band from 2007…right? Anyway.)

Photo by Brett Long

This band didn’t hover too long on Lookout Low, which was their most recent album. Instead, they catered to the fans and jumped around between hot hit to hot hit. "Walk to the One You Love", "Shake Your Lonely", "Blue Coupe", and "Wanted You" all found their way onto the setlist for the night, despite being from three different albums. Each song reminded me of why I fell in love with this band over the decade. A combination of rock and roll mixed with psychedelic pop, lyrics that don’t necessarily require deep analysis but are worth listening to, sing-along good times and heartbroken sad boys all at once. Everything about their music is young, bemused, hopeful, and stupid, which is exactly how I describe myself.  

(Note: It was about this time that I told Emily that although Spotify said my top artist of the decade was the Front Bottoms, I was denying that claim and replacing it with Twin Peaks. She told me to include that in the write-up. Here it is: I claim Twin Peaks, ignore my data.)

Ending with an encore performance, the retro-rock group mellowed out with a hollowed-out version of “Under a Smile”, seamlessly transitioning into a rambunctious, wild rendition of In the Meadow. The Chicago natives finally finished with the party anthem Strawberry Smoothie, just like they did on the Spotify Live concert. The song is a perfect scream along, “Well what ya doing baby, in the snow?/ You're just a groovy baby, in the snow/ Strawberry smoothie baby, in the snow/ Oh uh oh oh/ Oh uh oh oh" aren’t exactly lyrics meant to be drawn out and thought through (if they are, my bad, I don't care) but that’s not the real star of the performance. It’s Cadien Lake James’ growling vocals and aggressively 90s rock guitar skills. The band blends well together throughout the show, but especially on angry but poppy high hitters like this jam.

I said it on Instagram and I’ll say it here: I would and WILL die for Twin Peaks.

Photo by Brett Long