Sharon Van Etten comes full circle with The Attachment Theory in Philly

In 2008, a 27-year-old Sharon Van Etten would begin working with audio engineer Greg Weeks at his own Hexham Head Studio in Philadelphia. The two would create the album Because I Was In Love – a sparse, analog folk project that would kickstart Van Etten’s solo career. 

Now 17 years and seven albums deep, Van Etten and her band The Attachment Theory packed Union Transfer with enthusiastic fans on April 30th, eager to experience the group’s self-titled album. Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory, her first album written and produced entirely in collaboration with her band, debuted live at a special 20th anniversary Free At Noon in February. Later this year, the band will headline Saturday’s lineup at the XPoNential Music Festival.

The Union Transfer show opened with an ethereal performance from Love Spells, a three-piece band fronted by Sir Taegan Harris. Their sound was somewhere between the whispery seductiveness of Cigarettes After Sex and singer-songwriter Montell Fish’s haunting indie R&B. Harris wore headphones on stage, likely to hear his airy and intimate vocals clearly. Their stage presence was laid back, letting the dramatic swells and heavy reverb of their performance capture the audience in a trance. 

Just after 9 p.m., the house lights went down and the sold out crowd welcomed their headlining act to the stage. There were amps and instruments everywhere, more than enough for an ensemble two times the size of The Attachment Theory. The band began the show with the first three tracks from their album, “Live Forever,” “Afterlife,” and “Idiot Box.” Synth arpeggio was a vital element during these songs, and it became the instrumental basis that the band would build upon; it’s looping nature made it effective tool to maximize the song’s impact. 

Each member of The Attachment Theory sported a dark and somewhat gothic appearance; dark makeup, black garments, and leather. Teeny Lieberson had three keyboards, Shanna Polley played guitar and keys, Devra Hoff swapped between two bass guitars, Jorge Balbi helmed percussion behind a large kit and an electronic drum machine, and Van Etten occasionally provided additional synth and guitar alongside lead vocals. Their stage set featured large canvas paintings from Maxim Ludwig, a friend of Van Etten who used to tour with her.

“I’ve got a lot of Van Etten family and high school friends here” the singer stated in a brief pause from the music. Van Etten called Philly a “home away from home,” and explained her strong connection to the city during the early years of her career. Born in Belleville, NJ, Van Etten labeled her song “Comeback Kid” as her “coming of age, return to Jersey” song. “Everytime I come back to [Philadelphia], I feel a little more grown up,” she told the audience.  

Despite the audience not being much of a dancing crowd, Van Etten and the band got into it on stage during “I Can’t Imagine (Why You Feel This Way)” and “Somethin’ Ain’t Right.” Apparently, these were some of the first songs born from the “rehearsals-turned-jam-sessions” with The Attachment Theory which influenced them to create a whole album together. 

Red stage lights backlit the band as “Southern Life (What It Must Be Like)” began, emphasizing the underlying anger and frustration of the song. While the entire set had sounded full, this song in particular was especially cinematic and soaring, as it was thick with layers of string-like synths. The intensity was dialed back a bit for the popular single “Trouble,” which featured vocal harmonies from both Lieberson and Polley. 

Aside from the new album, Van Etten performed a handful of older tracks like “No One’s Easy To Love,” “Hands,” and the anthemic hit “Seventeen” from her 2019 album Remember Me Tomorrow. The audience sang along to “Every Time The Sun Comes Up,” and a slightly stripped down version of “Tarifa” was dedicated David Lynch, as the song had been featured in Twin Peaks: The Return in 2017. 

Before the initial set ended, Van Etten made sure to shout out everyone who was assisting the tour, including the merch salesperson, tour manager, bus driver, front of house sound engineer, and lights operator. The band closed with the progressive rock rager “I Want You Here,” and exited the stage through applause and howls from the audience. After a few minutes, Van Etten returned to the stage by herself and picked up her guitar. Since her first two albums had been created in Philly, she wanted to perform one of the tracks in the spare, solo style of the recordings. She played “I Wish I Knew” from her debut, and snuck in a quick thank you to XPN for premiering “Love More,” one of her earliest songs, back in 2010. 

The Attachment Theory returned to the stage in full to close the show with “Fading Beauty,” the penultimate track from their new album. It was amazing to hear such an abstract, unstructured song played live, and watch the performers communicate visually with each other in order to follow the song.  

Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory will continue their U.S. tour through May with support from Love Spells, before taking on Europe in August with Angie McMahon. Passes for the 2025 XPoNential Music Festival are now available, with Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory returning to the greater Philadelphia region to headline the festival Saturday, September 20th.