by Erinn Fortson
Half Moon Run and Misterwives started the beginning of this week right, with stellar performances at Johnny Brenda’s. On Monday night, both bands brought dynamic energy to their sets and played for an eagerly excited crowd of Philadelphians.
Mandy Lee had about a foot of space to call her own when Misterwives took the stage. She totally made it work though, as the lead singer bounced around and fiercely shook her tambourine. Hailing from New York, you would have thought Misterwives were a local favorite from the cheers and applause they received after each song. Looks like the band has won over another East Coast city.
Misterwives (photo credit Erinn Fortson)
Performing the infectious pop songs like “Kings & Queens”, Misterwives is a band that puts on an honest and fun show. They have the ability to dismantle the barrier between performer and spectator by truly making the audience feel like they are part of the experience.
As promised, Half Moon Run was ready to take the stage at 10:30. The crowd was already warmed up, with the adrenaline from the Misterwives performance carrying over. This is Half Moon Run’s first headlining tour. Earlier this year, they accompanied Icelandic band Of Monsters and Men on the road. They showed no signs of amateurism on Monday night though, as the talented Canadian musicians gave Philadelphia an exhilarating performance.
Conner Molander of Half Moon Run (photo credit Erinn Fortson)
Devon Portielje’s passion floods the stage when he performs. When he wasn’t vigorously shredding guitar riffs alongside band mate Conner Molander, Portielje was wooing the audience with his vocals. The majority of Half Moon Run’s set was compiled of songs from their debut album, Dark Eyes. “Drug You”, “Give Up”, and “Judgement” were included in this list as well as crowd pleasers like “Full Circle” and “Call Me in the Afternoon”.
The band ended their set the first time around with a powerful version of “She Wants to Know”. After leaving the stage for less than a minute, Half Moon Run returned with an encore and performed two more songs. The first song was an intimate, acoustic performance and the second, a more bluesy, rock ballad. Before officially ended the show, Portielje led the band in a sign off that seemingly fit his irritation with crowd chatter that occurred earlier during their performance. “Thank you everyone, except for you talkers over there. Fuck you!” And with that, Half Moon Run exited the stage.
