Kodaline brings a Love Like This to Philadelphia
A few months ago, I had the chance to see a little Irish band named Kodaline play a show in the small upstairs space at World Cafe Life in Philadelphia. Selling out at least a week in advance, the room was packed with people eager to hear what the band was all about. You can read the full review of that show here, but in short, they surpassed my high expectations and cemented themselves as one of my favorite bands to see live. When I had previously interviewed lead singer Steve Garrigan, he mentioned that they would be returning to the US for a lengthier and larger tour. So when their show on February 13th was announced, I knew I was going to do everything in my power to make sure I was free that night to see the show.
If you live on the east coast or have watched the news, you know that our winter hasn’t exactly been a light one. From snow days and snow emergencies to cities running out of salt, things have been a bit crazy. Naturally, the show happened to fall the day after we got part 1 of a massive two part storm. Wednesday we got somewhere around 10 or 11 inches, then Thursday was on and off rain, sleet and snow. When I see a forecast like that, the first question that comes to mind is will the band be able to even get into the city. The answer was yes, and although set times got a bit changed so that people could get home, the show was going to happen.
Bundled up and off to the show, I was a bit surprised at how many people still showed up. The band was booked to play the downstairs space this time around which can hold close to 1000 if it is completely sold out and I would say there were at least 300 or 400 people that showed up and stayed the entire time. The show began about 8 p.m. with LP. With her crazy hair, ridiculous voice and incredible whistling ability, the 25-minute set flew by. Playing a variety of songs, she ended with well-known hit, “Into The Wild.” With one of the fastest change-overs I have ever seen, Kodaline was up next and ready to go around 8:45.
The set lasted a bit over an hour and songs flowed seamlessly from one to another. A couple of my favorite things about this band is that each member takes part in vocals and that each song is slightly different, making for a very well rounded and interesting set list. Though the set was fairly similar to the one they had played a few months ago, it was a different atmosphere and the fans knew more of the words which turned almost every song into a sing-a-long. The band joined the crowd for the first song of the encore and even sang happy birthday to one fan with the help of the crowd. Ending things with my personal favorite, “All I Want,” created for the perfect end to a crazy day of weather.
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