by Holli Stephens

“It’s our first time in Philly. I think we’re going to come back.” Dressed in a t-shirt covered in leaf graphics, Dave Bayley was all smiles to the rambunctious crowd that filled up World Café Live’s downstairs stage Thursday night. Glass Animals began in Oxford, England when four friends got together and now consist of Bayley on vocals, Drew MacFarlane on guitar, Edmund Irwin-Singer on bass and Joe Seaward on drums. The band dabbled with warm resonating electronic song intros and had synthesizers along with their primary instrument to create various plucky ambient sounds that are commonly incorporated into a lot of their music.

Opening the night was Atlanta native Rome Fortune who was happy to announce that this was his first tour. The rapper had a blue tint to his beard and a stage presence that really showcased his experimental approach to rap. He had brought his father along who accompanied each of his songs on the xylophone with much vigor. I always love when artists bring in an opener that would be considered a completely different genre from what they are. Though Fortune does use a lot of electronic beats in his songs, there was still a very hard hip-hop vibe to his set which was really refreshing to see at a band’s show that is considered indie rock.

The shoeless guys of Glass Animals played a couple of songs from their self titled 2013 EP, but the set mostly consisted of tracks from their newest album, ZABA. I had found a spot in the front row and after quickly glancing behind me, I realized that I wasn’t alone with my dancing. A sea of bodies grooved to the infectious beats that each song seemed to have. After their first song “Exxus”, fans began yelling out their picks of the evening and Bayley tried his best to appease it. “Gooey” was met with screams of joy and an applause that was never-ending.

Other songs featured were “Black Mambo”, “Hazey”, “Toes” and “Wyrd”. Bayley is a singer who had such an incredible energy on stage that transcended through the audience. Though considered indie, there is so much soul in the band and their use of synths really make their sound incredibly unique.

Kanye West was challenged in Glass Animals’s encore when they covered “Love Lockdown”. Instead of putting each phrase on the upbeat as West recorded they chose the downbeat which completely transformed the song into something of their own. “Pools” was the last song of the night and was met with cries of “One more song!” from various audience members. And I’d have to agree with them. I hope Glass Animals enjoyed their first experience with a Philly crowd and will come back to the city soon.

by Holli Stephens

“It’s our first time in Philly. I think we’re going to come back.” Dressed in a t-shirt covered in leaf graphics, Dave Bayley was all smiles to the rambunctious crowd that filled up World Café Live’s downstairs stage Thursday night. Glass Animals began in Oxford, England when four friends got together and now consist of Bayley on vocals, Drew MacFarlane on guitar, Edmund Irwin-Singer on bass and Joe Seaward on drums. The band dabbled with warm resonating electronic song intros and had synthesizers along with their primary instrument to create various plucky ambient sounds that are commonly incorporated into a lot of their music.

Opening the night was Atlanta native Rome Fortune who was happy to announce that this was his first tour. The rapper had a blue tint to his beard and a stage presence that really showcased his experimental approach to rap. He had brought his father along who accompanied each of his songs on the xylophone with much vigor. I always love when artists bring in an opener that would be considered a completely different genre from what they are. Though Fortune does use a lot of electronic beats in his songs, there was still a very hard hip-hop vibe to his set which was really refreshing to see at a band’s show that is considered indie rock.

The shoeless guys of Glass Animals played a couple of songs from their self titled 2013 EP, but the set mostly consisted of tracks from their newest album, ZABA. I had found a spot in the front row and after quickly glancing behind me, I realized that I wasn’t alone with my dancing. A sea of bodies grooved to the infectious beats that each song seemed to have. After their first song “Exxus”, fans began yelling out their picks of the evening and Bayley tried his best to appease it. “Gooey” was met with screams of joy and an applause that was never-ending.

Other songs featured were “Black Mambo”, “Hazey”, “Toes” and “Wyrd”. Bayley is a singer who had such an incredible energy on stage that transcended through the audience. Though considered indie, there is so much soul in the band and their use of synths really make their sound incredibly unique.

Kanye West was challenged in Glass Animals’s encore when they covered “Love Lockdown”. Instead of putting each phrase on the upbeat as West recorded they chose the downbeat which completely transformed the song into something of their own. “Pools” was the last song of the night and was met with cries of “One more song!” from various audience members. And I’d have to agree with them. I hope Glass Animals enjoyed their first experience with a Philly crowd and will come back to the city soon.