As human beings, we’re social creatures. We depend on the company and support of others to get through the day, because no one can do life alone. Loneliness can be crushing, paralyzing one from doing the very things they need to do in order to prevent it. But as painful as it is to feel lonely, there’s a form of relief in hearing that you’re not the only one to feel that way. Alt-electronica duo MISSIO released their debut album Loner last May, and for anyone who’s felt like a loner, it’s a reminder that others feel their pain. The Austin-based duo, consisting of Matthew Brue (as vocalist, producer, and primary lyricist) and David Butler (as instrumentalist and producer) brought their Loner Tour to The Foundry at The Fillmore Philadelphia earlier this month, and while a concert might not cure your loneliness, spending a Sunday night in a room of hundreds of other people enjoying the same songs that you are may be a reminder that you’re not alone in feeling that way.
Opening the show was rock and roll group Welshly Arms. The six piece group calls Cleveland their home, and through their brief set, it was clear that while each member could hold their own, they were a true collective effort, shining brightest when playing together. While “Sanctuary” and “Down To The River” were clear highlights of their set, there’s no denying the power of a good cover: Welshly Arms released an EP of cover songs back in 2014, and their take on Sam & Dave’s “Hold On, I’m Comin'” had everyone in the room smiling.
The main room at The Fillmore holds 2500 people, but the Foundry, located upstairs, holds just 450. Like most small venues, it doesn’t offer the same privacy of a larger room; there are no curtains to block the stage from view at the beginning of a set. Yet there was undoubtedly clear anticipation, excitement and curiosity for what the night might bring when MISSIO began. When the group – Brue, Butler, and their live drummer – took the stage, they were dressed in all white. Perhaps it was purely a fashion statement, but with Loner‘s themes of sobriety and inner turmoil, it felt symbolic, as if expressing a desire for a fresh start.
Opening a set with an unreleased song is a bold move: MISSIO began their performance with “Temple Priest,” a song they’d later inform the crowd was recorded earlier this year, but has yet to be released. A hard-hitting song with plenty of rap influence on the vocals, fans may not have known the words, but they were screaming along as if it had been a track they’d loved for years. A year of regular touring and festival performances has done MISSIO well, and “I Do What I Want” and “KDV” were proof that they’re finding their footing as a live act.
While industry hands are important in making things happen, any artist ultimately achieves success only because of the fans that support them. MISSIO knows this, and took the time to thank the “MISSIO Mafia,” a group of fans that are “genuinely and truly representing who we are.” As a thank you to the fans who’d help them sell out a headlining show on a Sunday night, they performed their much-requested cover of Lana Del Rey‘s “West Coast.” It may have been a Sunday night, and while everyone had to go to work the next day, through songs like “I Don’t Even Care About You” and “DWI,” it was clear that no one was holding back. Fans were screaming every word, reveling in the catharsis in the room.
Welshly Arms
MISSIO
Missio are currently on the road for the Loner Tour, which will conclude with a hometown show in Austin on April 14. They’ll also be performing at Bottlerock Napa Festival in Napa, CA in May (with Bruno Mars, The Killers, The Chainsmokers, and more) and the Radio 104.5 Birthday Celebration in Camden, NJ in June (with Thirty Seconds To Mars, Walk The Moon, and more). For more information and a full list of upcoming tour dates, head to their website.