WXPN live cafe is a unique Philadelphia live music institute the intimate setting has played host to some amazing live acts such as Adele, tonight it is hosting the Spill Canvas on their Bottle Of Red Tour.

We first discovered the Spill Canvas back in 2004 from their album Sunsets and Car Crashes it along with the albums and EP’s that followed helped them become an important part of the emo landscape. The years went by and Australia never got to see the band live. Fast forward to 2019 which is 15 years after we first fell in love with this band the stars have aligned and while traveling around USA we are in Philadelphia and finally able to catch these emo masters of song live.

The Bottle Of red Tour takes the songs we know and a few we haven’t heard before and then changes them in delivery of sound, it’s a more raw honest format that strikes at the emotional content of lyrics.

The band sound great, real master of their instruments and the adding of a fiddle just enhances this as a unique opportunity to see these songs performed in such a way. I along with the crowd are spellbound. For me the tracks from early on in the bands career are the ones that really captivate me Appreciation for the Bomb and Lullaby are just a few of many.

Frontman Nick Thomas opens up abut the inspiration for making these songs be it relationship break downs or his own mental health struggles. The crowd are really receptive and the his vulnerability in such an intimate venue creates a real genuine show.

They finish out the main set with the haunting Ghost Town, but let us know we they are definitely coming back for more and leave us with a encore performance of This Is For Keeps and All Hail The HeartBreaker, the crowd give the band a standing ovation for what was truly a captivating and raw performance.

Review – Chad Heard

Photos – Christian Ross