Ryan Bowman

On Friday night, Glass Animals took over The Fillmore in Philadelphia for a sold out show. Made up of David Bayley, Andrew MacFarlane, Edmund Irwin-Singer, and Joe Seaward, the English indie rock band is finishing up their tour in support of How to Be a Human Being (August 2016). They brought Amber Mark along as the supporting act, newly emerging R&B/soul singer + songwriter based in NYC. The crowd was tightly packed by the time Amber Mark finished her set and anxiously awaiting the arrival of Glass Animals.

Their setup was the first thing you noticed when glancing up at the stage. A giant reflective pineapple hung from the rafters, surrounded by palm trees and a static filled TV. They entered to the rambunctious intro [Premade Sandwiches] before getting together and jamming into “Life Itself,” the first single released off of How to Be a Human Being. From there, they played one of their most popular songs featuring a catchy guitar rhythm, “Black Mambo.” They played every single song off their newest release, while including some favorites off Zaba (2014) like “Pools,” “Hazey,” “Gooey,” and “Toes.” I had been looking forward to this show ever since I last saw them at Firefly over the summer and knew I needed to see their full show. Their absolutely electric energy onstage is truly unique and something that needs to be experienced in person to fully appreciate.

Dave Bayley’s intensity on stage is practically unmatched by any other band. His infectious dancing and movement around stage shows how personal his own lyrics are to his life. The volume and emphasis on certain lyrics by Bayley makes their live shows very different and special from their recorded songs. My favorite moment of the show was during the first of the two-part encore, when Dave messed up the intro to “Pools,” twice. I always see musicians who just seem to go into autodrive when performing, doing the same gimmicks and saying the same stuff every show. It’s very humanizing to see your favorite musicians in a state like this, and makes it easier to merge that audience-band connection.

Glass Animals finishes off their tour this month with a few more dates in the south before heading to Mexico, and a few dates in Australia in December and January. As of now no news has emerged about working on a new album, but stay tuned. Check out pictures from the show below: