Review: Hozier sells out World Cafe Live underplay ahead of his Philly fall tour stop
“This town has always been ridiculously good to me,” the Irish musician, known for hits like “Take Me to Church,” said during a warmup underplay.
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Hozier opened his 90-minute May 9 night show at World Cafe Live with “Like Real People Do”, from his 2014 self-titled debut album.
A deep cut, but appropriate for this crowd.
Casual fans and radio listeners might be more familiar with his soulful rock hit “Take Me To Church” or delicate ballad “Cherry Wine”, but “Like Real People Do” held this room’s attention right away.
The night was marketed as a “pop-up” show, part of a series preceding a fall tour to promote the Irish singer-songwriter’s forthcoming album Unreal Unearth.
Hozier could be playing bigger rooms, and he has, but this 650-seat fan-focused space is strategic. The music industry term for a big artist in a small venue is “underplay” and it’s a way to reconnect and reinvigorate a loyal base, usually before a big drop. Ed Sheeran has one coming up in Philly in June.
“I’ve seen some folks recently who are new artists that I think could play stadiums, and then I think there’s lots of stadium artists who could not play small venues but I think that he can,” 23-year-old fan Bridget Hurley said. “He doesn’t do the type of theatrics where we’re going to be missing part of the performance by being in this room.”
It’s true. The singer’s voice sounded like it was ripped straight from any of his recordings, and arguably got even better as it met the warm crowd and filled the space. From whisper-soft folk tune “Swan Upon Leda” to the experimental reverb characteristic of his latest releases that was achieved with two microphones, there wasn’t a moment where his vocals faltered.
Plus, Hozier has a preexisting fondness for Philadelphia. He started the show by noting that it’s the third time he’s stood on The Music Hall stage. “This town has always been ridiculously good to me,” he said during the encore, thanking the venue and WXPN for being “one of the earliest radio stations to show me so much support.”
The set-up was simple, with a dropcloth replicating the art of his most recent March 2023 EP Eat Your Young. But the lighting design was especially impressive, with strobes during rock instrumentals, and a particularly powerful moment during “Movement” involving a wash of blue and a spotlit disco ball.
The house lights came up often to highlight the crowd singing along and eight band members playfully interacted with one another, leading the audience in clapping. They all took on multiple instruments or voice parts and playful choreography that gave the impression that you were witnessing an inside joke.
There wasn’t too much talking between songs, save for a few corny laughs from the leading man — “It’s sunny today…I don’t wanna make the joke.” — and several gracious thank yous.
The band left briefly for “Cherry Wine” but Hozier didn’t wind up performing alone. Temple student and musician Aaron Lutz ― who stood near the stage holding an iridescent sign that said “CAN I PLAY CHERRY WINE WITH U?” ― was invited to do just that. Supportive screams from the crowd cut into every instrumental break of their duet.
Robin Collison, who came from Wilmington, De. for the show, was in the top 0.05% of Hozier listeners last year per her Spotify Wrapped. And although she did manage to snag tickets for the September 29 Mann Center tour stop, she was especially thrilled to be in this space. “I know that every single person who has a ticket for this room right now is a fan.”
Before the show, Collison recounted a TikTok she watched this week where the artist played “Work Song” in Atlanta and prompted the crowd to sing along. They did, but weakly. The original poster captioned the video “pov: hozier plays your favorite song but it’s at a festival and no one knows the words😆.”
“I’m hoping that he plays it and gives Philly a chance to redeem that moment for him,” Collison said.
“Work Song” was the final song of Hozier’s encore. The whole room sang along.
Hozier’s setlist from May 9 2023, at the World Cafe Live
“Like Real People Do”
“Eat Your Young”
“From Eden”
“Jackie and Wilson”
“Would That I”
“To Be Alone”
“Dinner & Diatribes”
“Someone New”
“Swan Upon Leda”
“Cherry Wine”
“All Things End”
“Nobody”
“Through Me (The Flood)”
“Almost (Sweet Music)”
“Movement”
“Take Me to Church”
Encore
Unknown (unreleased from upcoming album Unreal Unearth)
Work Song