Photo by Joe del Tufo | http://www.joedeltufo.com/

Last night, Delta Rae performed at World Cafe Live at the Queen in Wilmington. After seeing them at three festivals I was not prepared for the force of nature they’ve become. Having honed their sound from two years of near constant touring, the energy of their set has reached a fever pitch. They opened strong, two drums kicking for the tune “Run”, from their recent release the Chasing Twisters EP, and by the time they got to a thunderous cover of Patti Smith’s “Because They Night”, I wondered if they could keep this sustain this level of energy and excitement.They did. Breathing only for a gorgeous completely unplugged version of a new song called Any “Better,” they left the crowd stunned with their soaring four part harmonies. There is a Fleetwood Mac influence here, but bigger, and seasoned with deep southern influence that shows up in songs like “Bottom of the River,” and “If I Loved You,” both highlights from the night. The vocals of siblings Brittany, Ian and Eric Holijes pairs with the outstanding energy of Elizabeth Hopkins are really something to behold. It’s a show you feel as much as hear. This is a band destined for larger stages; catch them up close while you can.