Radio 104.5 Birthday Show:Â Andorra, Coasts, Vance Joy, Night Riots, AWOLNATION, Walk the Moon, Meg Myers, Passion Pit, Hozier, Death Cab For Cutie, Of Monsters and Men at Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, New Jersey.
When you assemble incredible bands like Death Cab For Cutie, Of Monsters and Men, and Passion Pit you don’t just get a majority of the artists on my iPod, you get an amazing lineup that only Radio 104.5 can conjure up.
On Mother’s Day, I traveled to the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, New Jersey for the 8th Annual Radio 104.5 Birthday Show. The day started off with the local Philly band, Andorra kicking off the day. Each year, Radio 104.5 holds a contest where the winner gets to open the Birthday show. I was very impressed with Andorra’s sound and they easily fit in amongst the indie/alternative lineup without being lost in the fold.
Following Andorra was the English band, Coasts. Coasts are one of those up-and-coming bands that happen to pop up on just about every streaming site and playlist I listen to. Their single, “A Rush of Blood” is extremely catchy and definitely worthy of your time. Their set was very energetic and it got the crowd amped up for the rest of the day.
Next up was the Australian singer/songwriter, Vance Joy. Vance Joy is one of the hottest names  in music right now; currently crushing it on the top 40 and alternative charts with singles like “Riptide” and “Mess Is Mine.” He played a variety of tracks off his debut album, Dream Your Life Away, and had the majority of the sold out crowd singing along. A couple who got married earlier in the day at the show were brought on stage and had their first dance — serenaded by Vance Joy.
This year, the Philadelphia alternative radio station added an entirely separate stage dedicated to showcase emerging artists. After seeing Vance Joy, I made my way over to the New Music Discovery Stage to catch one of the most exciting new artists out right now, Night Riots. The California natives tore it up, showing off their unique sound and energy. They may have played the small stage this year, but I have a feeling it’s only a matter of time before they play the main stage next year and soon become a household name.
I made my way back to the main stage to catch the next colossal artist. I have seen AWOLNATION before, but there was something about their set this time that absolutely blew me away. Maybe it had to do with lead singer Aaron Bruno’s captivating energy or his ability to command the entire stage. It could also be due to the fact that they performed a tracks like “Run” and “Hollow Moon (Bad Wolf)” off their new LP, Run. Hearing those tracks live for the first time made me appreciate their sophomore effort even more. They also played their monster hit, “Sail,” along with fan favorites like “Kill Your Heroes,” and “Not Your Fault.” AWOL kicked the birthday party up a notch and the energy would only go up from there.
I had already seen Walk the Moon a few days before at Terminal 5 in New York City, so I knew full well what kind of show I was going to experience. Walk the Moon are one of the most enjoyable live acts in music and strive to make each performance better than the last. They played a majority of songs from their latest album, Talking Is Hard, including the smash hit “Shut Up and Dance.” The Ohio natives also played hits like “Tightrope,” “Lisa Baby,” and “Anna Sun.” If you have never seen Walk the Moon live you are missing out on an awesome dance party.
After Walk the Moon’s amazing set, Michael Angelakos a.k.a. Passion Pit took the stage to perform in front of the amped up crowd. Coming off energizing sets from both AWOLNATION and Walk the Moon, Passion Pit had a lot of pressure to keep that momentum going. Fortunately, the band was able to do that and more with their insatiable beats, and intense energy. They opened with one of their biggest hits, “Little Secrets,” one of the songs responsible for putting them on the map. They followed it up with “Lifted Up (1985),” the first single off the new LP Kindred, which was released back in April. Angelakos’ infectious voice had the crowd singing along to every song including “I’ll Be Alright,” and “Constant Conversations” off of 2012’s Gossamer. They ended with their mega hit, “Sleepyhead,” unfortunately ending their set, but finishing on a high note (no pun intended).
I made one final excursion to the New Music Discovery Stage to see the incredibly cute, but equally terrifying Meg Myers. I first learned about Meg Myers when I caught her set at last years Governors Ball. She is very talented, but the sound quality of that particular set (at Gov Ball) wasn’t great. Luckily, I was able to see her again because my god is she insane live. I mean that quit literally. At first glance, Myers is a sweet and innocent young woman, but when she gets on stage the old gods and the new gods of music possess her. The young artist commanded the stage like she was Jared Leto of Thirty Seconds to Mars; getting so lost in the music that it becomes one with her body. If you ever get the opportunity to see her live I suggest you take it, because trust me you will pleasantly surprised.
The last three acts of the night are some of my favorite artist that I had never had the chance to see live. At the top of the list was without a question, Hozier. While most will recognize Hozier as the singer of “Take Me to Church,” I know him as the gifted singer/songwriter that released one of the best debut albums I have ever heard. His set was a solid as the come playing tracks off his self titled LP such as “From Eden,” “Jackie and Wilson,” and “To Be Alone,” while also performing a surprising cover of Amerie’s “1 Thing.” Watching Hozier life was nothing short of breathtaking and I can’t wait to see him in concert again someday.
Following Hozier’s magnificent set, indie legends Death Cab For Cutie took the stage as the second to last act of the night. I have been listening to Death Cab For Cutie since Seth Cohen first introduced them to me when The O.C. was relevant in popular culture. Their set was an even mix of hits and new tracks from their recently released album, Kintsugi. Ben Gibbard and company brought nostalgia to the sold out show by playing hits like “Crooked Teeth,” Soul Meets Body,” and “I Will Possess Your Heart.” After years of listening to them it was great to finally see them live for the first time.
Closing out the jam-packed show was indie darlings, Of Monsters and Men. The Icelandic group brought a much darker stage presence and tone when the played their first song, “Thousand Eyes,” from their upcoming album Beneath the Skin. The tone would be come much lighter when the band played songs like “King and Lionheart, and “Mountain Sound” from their debut album, My Head Is An Animal. Of course no Of Monsters and Men set would be complete without their chart topping hit, “Little Talks,” and closing the show with “Dirty Paws.” Of Monsters and Men were a great way to end the star-studded radio show. The only question is, how will 104.5 ever top this year’s Birthday Show?
Andorra
AWOLNATION
Coasts
Death Cab for Cutie
Hozier
Meg Myers
Night Riots
Of Monsters and Men
Passion Pit
Vance Joy
Walk the Moon
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Al Mannarino is the managing editor for Pop-Break. He is also host of the News Over Brews Podcast, Loot Care Unboxed, Backstage Break, and the producer of Behind the Brews. He graduated Rowan University with a degree in Radio/TV/Film & History and is currently a Promotions Assistant for Clear Channel Media + Entertainment. When he isn’t writing he is either trying to build his own TARDIS or taking a nap. Follow him on Twitter: @almannarino
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