Highnoon’s soaring and sunny indie pop greets the XPNFest crowd on day two

XPoNential day two kicked off in full swing with Philly local favorites Highnoon. The dreamy four-piece led by songwriter Kennedy Freeman played a short but effective set, doing the important work of welcoming festival-goers back to the waterfront green.

Starting at noon, which was either a conscious decision or a funny coincidence, Highnoon played a full set of new songs under a cloudless blue sky. Freeman’s big orange Gretch hollowbody was the perfect vehicle for their steady, upbeat strumming in warm alternate tunings. Lead guitarist Brendan Simpson punctuated their rhythm with bright and punchy riffs, while the rest of the band controlled the tempo and volume of their soaring pop tunes.

“Feels like we’re at the beach today,” said Freeman who admitted the high sun was preventing them from seeing the glow of their guitar pedals. No matter, Highnoon sounded amazing. From Philly basements to mid-size venues like PhilaMOCA to Philly Music Fest ‘21 to XPoNential, Highnoon proves their indie pop brand is accessible to many different audiences.

The highlight of the set was their closing song, “Tomorrow,” which evolved into a sprawling jam. Glitchy guitar and high intensity drums came to a roaring peak that had the river stage audience on the edge of their beach blankets. Stay tuned to more from Highnoon in the upcoming months. While there are no show announcements on the horizon, their all-new set shows they have big news to share soon.