Thee Sacred Souls’ Josh Lane loves love. The lead singer took his time on Union Transfer’s stage to break things down to their bare bones – it is human to love and lose, to be hurt and be the one hurting.
To Lane, music is a way to grieve and hopefully, heal. He opened up “Sorrow For Tomorrow” with a reminder that we are all connected by grief, by mourning. Sometimes it’s as close as losing our families, like how Lane lost two family members. Other times it’s far away, where nearly tens of thousands of people are being killed. He instructed the audience to use the song’s three minutes to mourn together for the loss of life we can’t control.
Thee Sacred Souls | photo by Danielle Ciampaglia for WXPN
As Thee Sacred Souls ended their east coast run in Philly on Saturday, they managed to blur – and often completely erase – the line between artist and fan. Lane spent multiple songs in the audience, dancing with the crowd. And not even just the people up front, he went all the way to the back into the bar before making his way back to the stage.
He requested specific lighting for specific songs, he spoke to the audience about being in love. It was the least self-centered show I’ve ever been to – Lane could relate to us because he too is just a person.
Thee Sacred Souls live is a transcendent experience, with stunning backing vocals and a consistent, reliable band.
La Lom | photo by Danielle Ciampaglia for WXPN
With just three members, opener La Lom proved you don’t need lyrics or heavy manpower to command a sold out crowd. Holding his own as the one guitarist, Zac Sokolow brought a soulfulness that had all of Union Transfer entranced.
The crowd loved La Lom, but at the heart of it, La Lom loved each other. During the more built up moments, or during a particularly good solo, bassist Jacob Faulkner was shouting. He hyped up the crowd and the crowd hyped up him in a never ending, incredibly thrilling cycle. Drummer Nicholas Baker had a scaled down drum set playing with one drumstick of choice, and one hand bare.
A Thee Sacred Souls show serves as a reminder that we’re lucky to be able to see music live, to hear music, to make music. Coming together to enjoy it together is a privilege – and one we shouldn’t take for granted.