Elderbrook hits Philadelphia Amidst North American "LITTLE LOVE" Tour
Before making his way up to Toronto to continue the 2022-2023 "Little Love" Tour, Elderbrook brought the party and showed Philly a whole lot of love on March 15th at the Theater of Living Arts.
The room quickly filled in to see the Grammy nominee with openers EREZ and Nasaya who all together saw over 700 fans gather that night.
EREZ kicked off the show with her hit "They're Coming" off of her self-titled album, immediately filling the room with the distinct euphoric indie electronic sound that has earned her the acclaim she has today.
The New York City native, Israeli-raised musician blends many sounds together, all found in a well balanced harmony as she herself produces all of her own discography, allowing each track to possess an impressive amount of precision.
EREZ is a true original artist that sets the stage on fire, but not only through her music- she is extremely active throughout her performance, even with an electric guitar in her grasp, constantly encouraging (and receiving) activity from the crowd. This energy grew and erupted as she doted on the city of brotherly love, commenting, "I've never been to Philadelphia before.. ..I think it's a pretty cool city."
Now based in Los Angeles, her cultural well-roundedness really comes through in her music, capturing the late-night dance party atmosphere while evoking plenty of clarity and self-reflection along the way.
This set the perfect tone for secondary opener, Nasaya, and his unique electronic sound which he credits inspiration from musicians such as Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and Deadmau5. This becomes evident as he too is found guitar-in-hand during his whole performance while mixing a punchy rich beat that had the crowd jumping throughout the entire set.
Born in Reunion Island, he channels a broad range of music from his homestead including notes of jazz, electronic, pop and classic rock while also incorporating plenty of French ("the language of love") lyrics, enhancing his already romantic strains- these pieces are all "a love letter to the rave" he states.
The Berklee College of Music graduate charged the room with extremely comprehensive rhythm and steady vibrations.
This unique sound is how he found himself joined with ODESZA's Foreign Family Collective for his "REVES" EP in 2022, gaining him even more recognition in the EDM world.
With the crowd well warmed up, Alex Kotz, better known as Elderbrook, took to the stage with his 2020 single, "NUMB" and was not afraid to break out his classic "Elderbrook slalom" early on in the show successfully encouraging all who looked on to join in.
The London native writes, sings and produces all of his own music creating a smooth streamlined harmony throughout each track. This, paired with his one-of-a-kind tender gazey voice is enough to make any beholder feel like they've been swept away into a dream.
Classically trained on both piano and guitar, the university grad was first introduced to "quality dance music" in his college years and subsequently began listening to various dance genres after having been a part of an indie band, which he reflects on as being a "folky acoustic thing" he once did.
There's no doubt that his musical background is what may have paved the way for him to become the performer he is today. A one-man show, he nearly engineers the music in front of our eyes, from sounding off every beat drop, creating a manual drum beat with a single drum stick, to singing over the mix he has curated all while dancing along with his signature slalom.
His form may be unmatched, but fans can be seen mimicking the "skiing" motion throughout the crowd as he makes his way to the front and center of the stage, almost commanding fans below to let loose and dance along with him.
During his song "Something About You", everyone in the building was doing just that- flowing with the platinum certified vocalist as he effortlessly transitioned between beating the drum, adjusting mixers, controlling MIDI and passionately singing to his Philadelphia fans all while bringing an incredibly high-energy experience into the TLA.
The TLA first hit Philly's South Street as a nickelodeon called "Crystal Palace" back in 1908 and wore several names and served many different purposes before ultimately becoming the Theater of Living Arts in 1959. It wasn't until 1988 though that the venue became the concert hall that it is today, serving a max capacity of 1000 people and boasting what most consider the best acoustics in the city. Voted as one of the 50 best concert venues by 'Complex' in 2013, this venue is very special to all that call the greater Philadelphia area home.
The TLA gives South Street a fresh breath of life multiple times in just a single week, bringing crowds down to explore all of the notable eateries and galleries the strip has to offer.
The venue itself welcomes both up-and-coming and nationally touring acts that can be seen rocking the TLA all throughout the year in its intimate space.
