Julia Pratt brings a dynamic and emotional performance to the XPNFest River Stage

We’ve made it to the last day of XPN Fest, and the conditions couldn’t be more perfect. Julia Pratt said it best when she called today’s set a redemption for getting rained out last year; there wasn’t a cloud in sight as the midday crowd shifted from Brittany Ann Tranbaugh’s Marina stage set to the River Stage, where Julia Pratt delivered an emotive set, balancing heartbreak with humor and her good nature, gaining a couple of new fans along the way.

Pratt started her set with her usual opener “Little Bug,” a dainty song that got the crowd moving, despite the heat. And what can give you goosebumps in 80-degree weather? Pratt’s emotional vocals on her next song, “Julia, Baby.” A song about being called a problem, Pratt dedicated it to everyone who had been called the same at one point.

From releasing her debut EP this May (complete with a hometown release party at The Foundry) to being on tour throughout the year, Pratt has had a busy year. Through it all, she’s kept her gentle charm, taking the time in her set to share anecdotes about her songs. While her EP Family Feud is about some darker moments in her upbringing and familial past, Pratt managed to convey hope and lightness throughout her set.

Her set flowed from more upbeat songs to softer, slower tracks. Composed of a healthy mix of old and new material, Pratts’s set had a folk-rock quality, grounded and ethereal all at once. About halfway through her set, Pratt asked the crowd if they wanted to hear an unreleased song – big cheers indicated that they very much did. “This song is about a friendship breakup, which is arguably worse than any other type of breakup,” shared Pratt as she introduced “Peas in a Pod,” another round of cheers from the crowd signaled a unanimous agreement.

Pratt had another treat in store for the crowd, closing her set with “A Little Love,” her collaboration with fellow Philadelphia band, Mt. Joy. Performing it solo, Pratt’s vocals shined. She ended her set by dancing off stage, letting her band have a moment in the spotlight as they jammed on the track’s outro.