Jade Bird was all smiles as she bounded onto the stage during today’s Free at Noon. Her enthusiasm caught the crowd’s attention immediately, causing a hush in the room as she introduced herself. “It’s so good to be back, last time I was engaged, now I’m not… and it feels so much better!” exclaimed the singer with a cheeky grin.
It was a stripped-down acoustic set with only Jade and her guitar on stage, but there was no doubt about the excitement in the crowd. She opened with “C’est La Vie” from her recent EP Burn The Hard Drive, her raspy vocals confidently conveying a multitude of emotions. She balanced out her stirring set by cracking jokes in between songs, covering topics such as her breakup and parents’ (and grandparents’) divorce with good nature and a bit of dark humor.
The first half of the set was full of high-energy songs, fulfilling Jade’s promise to wake the Free at Noon crowd up. About halfway through, she switched up the pace with an unreleased song, “Who Wants,” a heartbreaking ballad.
“I’ve been on tour, and I’ve really loved playing this song,” shared Jade before playing one of her favorite love songs, a cover of Big Star’s “Thirteen,” much to the audience’s delight. She closed the brief set with another unreleased song, “Jet Black,” raising the energy of the room again, and ending on an high note with her hit “I Get No Joy.” Her folk-inspired indie rock songs invigorated the crowd, and the set was over all too fast.
The English singer-songwriter will be returning to Philly for XPN’s XPoNential Music Festival this September, and she’s not one to miss! Tickets to the XPoNential Music Festival can be found here. Don’t forget to listen to Jade Bird’s latest EP, Burn The Hard Drive, in the meantime.