by Andi Bricklin
Why buy Five Hour Energy when this band gives it away for free?! Free Energy took the stage during their performance clad in skinny jeans and donning winter ski caps that stayed on their head for about a half a song. They hit the stage hard with “Backscratcher”, but when they kicked into “Electric Fever”, the lead off track to their newly released album, Love Sign, they immediately had the audience’s attention.
They left the clouds, rain and upcoming snow storm warnings outside the World Café Live with their lively songs that scream for the carefree days of summer. Putting the power in “power-pop” these guys dared the lunch time crowd to break out of the usual head bopping to cross over into full on dancing with tasty SG and Les Paul guitar snacks sandwiched between a solid rhythm section that has enough cowbell to cure even Christopher Walken’s fever!
It’s been a while since a Philly band has had a true front man working the stage and Paul Sprangers was working it. Channeling his inner Jagger, he jumped around the stage and never missed a beat. Every jump was met with a power landing that was felt as the music landed with him.
The band ended the show with “Girls Want Rock” and everyone joined in with the “Hey Mickey” hand clapping that makes this song so catchy! More than a few people left the World Café Live with Free Energy songs stuck in their heads and wanting more!
