Photos and words by Dani Weinstein
Berlin-based, South African-born singer-songwriter Alice Phoebe Lou played World Cafe Live in Philly on Wednesday, March 10th. Not including her retro-synthy side project strongboi (with bandmate Ziv Yamin) that released their debut earlier this year, Lou’s last studio LPs Child’s Play and Glow were both released in 2021; however, she’s been trickling out new tracks and is set to release her next album this summer.
Lou created a comfortable atmosphere in Philly, singing a large variety of new, old, and unreleased songs. She started the night off with “Only When I” (from Glow) and 2020 single “Touch”, with both songs sending fans into complete admiration. Though she shared feeling jet lagged, it was never apparent throughout the entire night. With each song, Lou created intimacy with the crowd, strumming her guitar with emotion and swaying with the music. The whole night, she made sure to connect with the crowd, cracking jokes about Philly cheesesteaks and putting smiles on everyone’s faces. Lou has a very unique sound and is an artist that is meant to be heard live. Her lyrics are found to be super raw and real, which made me appreciate her even more. I loved how I was able to connect to her lyrics and enjoy the instruments. She has an adorable vibe and was a very sweet artist, appreciating every loving comment shouted from the crowd. Lou created a perfect and calm night in Philly that was very well needed. Singing mostly slow songs throughout her set, she ended the night off with two upbeat songs, “Witches” and “Dirty Mouth“.
Her upcoming album is set to come out at the end of June, but she’s already released 2 new tracks. Stream “Open My Door” and watch the music video for “Shelter” below. Lou will be back in the area again this summer when she plays The Stone Pony in Asbury Park on July 25th (tickets) – see all of her upcoming tour dates here and keep scrolling below to see more photos from the show.
