Mitski | photo by Rachel Del Sordo

 

Last week indie rock heavyweight Mitski came to Philly in a big way, playing three shows in two days. First there was sold out show at Boot and Saddle, followed by an impressive Free at Noon performance at World Cafe Live, ending with another sold out show, this time at PhilaMOCA. It was clear that Philly could not get enough of Mitski, and for good reason. She is currently on tour in support of her new album Puberty 2, her highly anticipated follow up to 2014’s Bury Me at Makeout Creek. Mitski stacked her tour with promising new artists as well.

Newcomer Jay Som opened the show. She came onstage at PhilaMOCA with nothing but a guitar, but there was a quiet power to her songs. Jay Som evokes the same kind of emotion as artists like Julien Baker. At lot of times crowds will tend to ignore openers, especially when they are acoustic (or solo-electric, as the case may be), but Jay Som had everyone’s full attention. She has a 7″ out now on Fat Possum and I’m expecting to see great things from her in the near future.

Next up was Philly’s own Japanese Breakfast, the latest project from Little Big League frontwoman Michelle Zauner. After the split of her more pop punk leaning previous band, Zauner set her sights on emotional indie pop and hasn’t looked back. Her first full length Psychopomp is a must listen, and she put on an incredibly fun live set, playing most of the new album, climbing on top of the amps and closing with an as-yet unreleased techno-pop song that had her jumping offstage and dancing in the crowd.

Mitski hit the stage to an adoring crowd and started off with an old favorite “Townie.” Her set featured a lot of her older material and, seeing as the album has been out for less then a month, it was understandable. But a highlight of her performance was her transition form from old favorite “I Don’t Smoke” into her latest single “Your Best American Girl” – definitely one of the most powerful moments in the set. Mitski also surprised us by doing a really fun cover of Calvin Harris’ “How Deep is Your Love.” Overall the future looks bright for Mitski, and her concert was a beautiful tribute to female musicians and their power in the industry.