The World/Inferno Friendship Society @ Union Transfer (10/31)

Why don’t you rise me up?

Down by the pumpkin patch

I’ve been waiting all year just to get myself born,

I’ve been waiting all year just to meet you.

A crowded space. The smell of sweat. Smoke and booze. A man with a toaster on his head. A shoe against the side of my face. The World/Inferno Friendship Society. If you have ever attended Hallowmas, then you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Hallowmas: WIFS’s annual Halloween show. Though usually held in Brooklyn (the band’s home base), this year’s sold-out performance took place at Philadelphia’s own Union Transfer on none other than Halloween night. Preceded by the folk punk ensemble Mischief Brew and an unnerving (and loud) performance by the Japanese noise rock group Melt Banana, WIFS did not disappoint. While already noted for their highly stylized performances, WIFS took on an even more extreme edge, as they incorporated elaborate designs, wardrobe, choreography and lighting to produce a decidedly energized Halloween atmosphere. However, perhaps most notable about Hallowmas was the audience- a group of misfits donning the greatest costumes I’ve seen in a while (my favorite being a guy who placed a large box over his body- he might have been a playing card?). But while everyone was dressed in convoluted outfits, by the end of the night you could find scraps of uniforms and attire all over the incredibly filthy floor. In this sense, the venue was literally a warzone: people falling, people flying, people throwing their limbs in every direction. My friend who accompanied me to the concert had hinted at the intensity of WIFS’s audience, but I really underestimated the vigor and power that these devoted fans brought to the show. If I say that the only safe areas were against the walls, then you might be able to parse together the size of the pit.

Yet, regardless of the audience’s spirit, WIFS really does know how to put on an incredible performance. Complete with a string section and a saxophone (which unfortunately was not plugged in), WIFS’s sound was an eclectic montage of punk based rhythms with strong cabaret and circus themed overtones. While most of their songs seemed to blend into another, resulting in a rather lengthy set both physically and aurally exhausting, I was pleasantly surprised at the thoughtfulness that WIFS lent their performance. While Hallowmas can essentially be classified as a concert, in reality it is so much more. Whether you call it performance art, theater, ceremony, or bohemian ritual, in the end it’s all the same, and WIFS looked like they were having the best of times.

As the show eventually drew to a close, WIFS (as a formality) left the stage, only to be cheered back enthusiastically for a lively encore for their once-a-year performance of “Pumpkin Time,” an homage to The Great Pumpkin, the mythical pumpkin patch spirit from the Peanuts cartoon strip. As lead vocalist Jack Terricloth yelled to the audience, “Do you believe in the Great Pumpkin?” I found myself caught in a metaphysical crisis- do I believe in the Great Pumpkin? Does the mysterious Halloween savior that Linus yearned to meet actually exist? While perhaps more thought should have been given to this profound question, Hallowmas was no place for such deep philosophical treatises, as I still had to dodge the bodies stage diving into the audience.

As we fell deeper into the night, WIFS eventually said their goodbyes. The audience stumbled out into the cold yawning dark, smiling and laughing at the ridiculous condition of their half-torn costumes as they scattered to enjoy the remainder of Hallowmas. I too went home, and as I rode the subway back to my bed, I certainly felt the presence of the Halloween spirit breathing in the night.

Well, I believe in the Great Pumpkin.