The Hotelier brings Goodness to Philly with a stacked bill

The Hotelier | Photo by Sydney Schaefer for WXPN | sydneyschaeferphotos.com

Back in May, the Worchester, Massachusetts dudes that make up The Hotelier set out on a two month long tour with Told Slant, Loone, and Bellows. This killer tour made its way to Philly last Wednesday night, June 13th, for stop at Union Transfer.

Loone | Photo by Sydney Schaefer for WXPN | sydneyschaeferphotos.com

Loone | Photo by Sydney Schaefer for WXPN | sydneyschaeferphotos.com

Bellows | Photo by Sydney Schaefer for WXPN | sydneyschaeferphotos.com

Loone was first of this amazing four-band lineup to play. This Turners Fall, Massachusetts four-piece grew out of several years of Noel’le Longhaul’s solo work, as stated on the band’s Facebook page. Longhaul’s authentic voice gives the band’s sound something that stands out among the rest, as well as the meaning behind their songs. A personal favorite of mine was toward the end of their set when the band played “Foam (For Alyssa),” and all four members were screaming the lyrics, “I HATE MY BODY, YOU LOVE MY BODY” with such passion. It was rather moving.

Following Loone was the Brooklyn based band, Bellows. These guys were so good that after their set was over, my boss here at WXPN came up to me asking who these guys were because he had caught the last 30 seconds of their set and really made him go “holy shit.” (NOTE: She speaks the truth. -ed.)

Told Slant | Photo by Sydney Schaefer for WXPN | sydneyschaeferphotos.com

Told Slant was next, and damn did they put on one hell of a show. The stage set up for this band was inverted in a unique and unexpected way – drummer / vocalist Felix Walworthwas front and center, with only two drums and a microphone, while the bassist was toward the back of the stage where the drummer usually sits.Walworth was banging the beat and singing the lyrics; I had really never seen anything like it.

Another really cool thing about this tour was that the band members were able to play mix-and-match with the bands they played with. For instance, Walworth played drums during Loone’s last song. And when Told Slant came on stage, we saw the bassist was the keys player in Bellows, while the guitarist from Bellows also played guitar in Told Slant.

The Hotelier | Photo by Sydney Schaefer for WXPN | sydneyschaeferphotos.com

The Hotelier | Photo by Sydney Schaefer for WXPN | sydneyschaeferphotos.com

Finally, the band everyone had been waiting for, The Hotelier, took the stage. Frontman Christian Holden came out first, took the microphone and started singing Goodness Pt. I, completely a capella as the audience stood, stared and listened in awe.

The Hotelier / Christian Holden singing A Capella | Photo by Sydney Schaefer for WXPN | sydneyschaeferphotos.com

The band set out on this tour in support of their newest album, Goodness. A decent amount of songs from that album were played at this show, as well as songs from their 2014 hit release, Home, Like NoPlace Is There. A personal favorite moment of the night was when the guys played “Your Deep Rest” right into “Among The Wildflowers,” two major fan favorites. The Hotelier’s setlist from their night in Philly can be found below, as well as a complete photo gallery of the show.

The Hotelier setlist

Goodness Pt. I
Goodness Pt. II
Piano Player
N 43° 33′ 55.676″ W 72° 45′ 11.914″
Your Deep Rest
Among The Wildflowers
Life in Drag
Two Deliverances
N 42° 6′ 3.001″ W 71° 55′ 3.295″
Soft Animal
Sun
You in This Light
Discomfit Revisited
An Introduction to the Album
The Scope of All of This Rebuilding

Encore

Dendron