“Hey, we’re back! We’re back – some break that was!”
Brothers Brian and Michael D’Addario stepped onto the World Cafe Live stage in the middle of their “break” between tours. With only the two founding members and their acoustic guitars, The Lemon Twigs – XPN’s June Artist to Watch – brought heart into their typically trippy, throwback set.
After founding The Lemon Twigs in high school, the duo released 100 cassette copies of their debut What We Know. They now have five LPs under their belts, each sounding like they contained long-lost Beatles and Beach Boys tracks. After various collaborations and touring members, the D’Addario brothers are currently working with Danny Ayala and Reza Martin on keys, vocals, and drums, but notably played their Free At Noon set as a duet only.
Kicking off with “Church Bells,” The Lemon Twigs played a set of songs from their latest two albums, 2023’s Everything Harmony as well as their latest release A Dream Is All We Know, throwing in a cover of “Red Rubber Ball” by Paul Simon and Bruce Woodley. The Lemon Twigs were self-aware, bantering about their youthful appearance and popularity to the crowd, saying they hope that “Peppermint Roses” “becomes our sleeper hit. Or that any of them become our sleeper hit.”
These stripped-down versions don’t have that Brian Wilson pep that The Lemon Twigs are known for; instead they shine on their own as a separate entity. They steered clear of the saccharine, letting lyrics shine in a genuine set. Not to say that their originals aren’t fantastic – that sometimes-baroque, sometimes-surfy sound is what made them famous, after all.
After a limited summer tour, The Lemon Twigs will be back in Philadelphia on October 11th at Underground Arts. Tickets and more information available on XPN’s Concert Calendar.