Get ready to bring your own lawn chairs and drinks out to West Philly this weekend for the annual PorchFest, a free DIY music event featuring more than 200 artists playing in cafes and on porches and stoops throughout the neighborhood. The ninth iteration will be Saturday from noon to 6 p.m.
The simplest way to enjoy the festival might be to just hop on the Market-Frankford line, head to the area and walk around a bit to discover something new organically. But if that sounds like a daunting and intimidating task, PhillyVoice is here to help point you in the right direction.
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While every artist is worth checking out at an event like this that's based on community, here are five acts that have been on my radar.
Local Honeymoon
Knockbox Cafe, 405 S. 45th Street, at 2:20 p.m.
This Philadelphia-based band wears their influences on their sleeves from the likes of local favorites the Wonder Years and Modern Baseball to the easy listening energy of Jimmy Buffett. Whether they're singing about tropical drinks or Miller Lite, Local Honeymoon's collection of songs are high on laid-back vibes.
Humilitarian
4227 Baltimore Avenue at 3 p.m.
Another Philly act, Humilitarian sits at the intersection of the shoegaze revival and the fifth wave emo circuit. There are elements of dream pop that seep in, too, making for epic buildups like on the nearly six-minute track "I'm Not Dreaming" from their 2025 album "Intra." They're simultaneously reminiscent of Slowdive and the World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die.
Dark Surfers
420 S. 49th Street at 3 p.m.
Hailing from New Jersey, Dark Surfers feels indebted as much to the Beach Boys' iconic album "Pet Sounds" as they are early R.E.M. and the jangle pop scene of the 1980s. There's a hint of the Springsteen-esque Jersey Shore sound at play here as well. But, hey, how can you be a rock band from Jersey and not let the Boss trickle into your records a bit?
Velcro Homer
4512 Locust Street at 1 p.m.
A reinterpretation of the legendary 1990s grunge scene, local act Velcro Homer takes clear inspiration from Kurt Cobain with ample lo-fi energy to boot.
Party Nerves
4514 Springfield Avenue at 12:30 p.m.
Instrumental surf rock that meshes those 1950s and 1960s roots with some garage rock and punk sounds? Sure, let's wrap this up with something fun and off-kilter.
A full map and list of PorchFest spots and acts can be found here.
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