Delaware-native, Sug Daniels hosted a warm and fun Thursday night hang with loads of friends at Johnny Brenda’s this week. Daniels and her band, The Sweet Boys – which for this gig included Ty Mathis on guitar, Samuel Nobles on keys, King Jester on bass and Alex Clayton on drums – headlined the Fishtown venue with support from Mandy Valentine and Jessye Disilva. Daniels ended the night by letting us know that she’ll be releasing her debut full-length album soon, so we have that to look forward to in the (near) future!
Mandy Valentine | photo by Ellen C Miller
As Mandy Valentine led into their last song, they asked the audience: “do you want to dance or do you want rock n’ roll?” However, the answer didn’t really matter because people were going to dance no matter what. Their fun blend of country with rock and roll allowed Mandy Valentine to get the energy and warm vibes flowing as soon as they took the stage.
“I feel like everyone on this bill is so joyous, and I’m not… so let’s get sad!”, Jessye Desilva told the crowd as she started their middle set. However, the band managed to still put on a pretty “joyous” set! The South Jersey native filled their set with songs about life as a queer person and songs inspired from childhood. A big Stevie Nicks fan, she also included their cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Silver Springs.”
Jessye Desilva | photo by Ellen C Miller
Kicking off her headlining slot with “When I’m Gone” and ending the night with “Leave the Light On,” Johnny Brenda’s got to enjoy a full hour of the soothing vocals and fun ukulele melodies in all of Daniels’ songs that are just an extension of her personality. Despite ending just before midnight on a “school night”, it felt like the show went by so quickly. Sug mentioned at one point between songs that she quit her day job to do music full time (which we love!) while also joking (or confessing) that if you had told her several years ago she’d be playing the ukulele for a living she’d say you’re crazy.
Check out a gallery from the concert along with Daniels and The Sweet Boys’ setlist below; Sug Daniels next area gig happens Thursday night, July 25th, at Abington Art Center, information can be found at the XPN Concert Calendar.