Vita and the Woolf headlines a fantastic all-Philly bill at Johnny Brenda’s

Vita and the Woolf | Photo by Michelle Montgomery | michellemontgomeryphotography.com

Johnny Brenda’s was filled with an awesome triple bill of live local music on Thursday night, capped by Vita and the Woolf‘s biggest hometown headlining appearance to date. She just wrapped up production on an EP that she plans to release in the spring, and was kicking off a short fall tour acorss the Northeast.

Opening the show was Aphra, the soul-pop solo project by Rebecca Way. Through loops, drum machine beats, and keys, she created a rich texture of sound filled with emotional nuances as she performed an entrancing set of her soulful electro-pop music.

Next up, Legs Like Tree Trunks took the stage for a high-energy set. The four-piece group, led by frontman Matt Holden, rocked out the stage of Johnny Brenda’s. The interaction between Holden and his brother Jake, also on guitar, provided a fast-paced and continuous momentum throughout the set. Legs Like Tree Trunks got the crowd pumped up with their guitar-heavy infectious tunes. Their first full-length album will be released next year.

Headlining the show was Vita and the Woolf. Kicking off tour in support of their debut EP Fang Song, lead singer Jennifer Pague performed a riveting set of vocal-driven music. For most of the set, two band members on guitar (Josh Olmstead) and drums (Adam Shumski) backed Pague. Throughout the set, they occasionally left Pague the stage to perform solo.

 

To put it simply, Pague is a high-energy vocal powerhouse; she has such an impressive vocal range and vocal styling quality that is quite haunting and resonated throughout the room. Pague’s lyrics and soulful delivery in tandem with the band’s instrumentation left the crowd wanting more. Vita and the Woolf is one of the best acts to recently come out of the Philly area, and I can’t wait to hear what they deliver on their upcoming full-length release.