Growing up wasn't easy for Lightspeed Champion. One day he was in a band widely hailed as the future of hardcore, the next he was striking out on the long, lonely path of establishing his own solo career. One can't help but think that Lightspeed Champion's appearance at Philly's First Unitarian Church last night was packed mostly out of respect for his former band, Test Icicles. This is a town that has never been ashamed of its hardcore, nor its UK imports. While some of the more cynical US reviewers have been critical of LC's latest album Falling Off the Lavender Bridge, Philadelphia has brought the love.

The Champion, whose real name is Devonte Hynes, has taken a nod from Patrick Wolf, whom he supported and covered last year. Lavender, which was co-crafted by Bright Eyes' Mike Moggis, aims at lush chamberpop. For fans of dramatic reversal, this is a definitive coup. For fans of hardcore, well, we'll see. Hynes does retain trace amounts of his former band's youthful brattiness in lyrical quality, mostly when discussing bodily functions and the loss of his virginity ("I Could Have Done This Myself." ) Also good for cheap laughs: "Everyone I Know is Listening To Crunk."