Pop Break Live: Allie X at The Foundry at The Fillmore in Philadelphia, PA
Words & Photos by Cathy Poulton
Singer-songwriter Allie X brought her unique sense of sound and style to The Foundry at the Fillmore Tuesday, August 29th.
Background:
Allie X started turning heads in 2015 with her song “Catch” which charted as high as #55 on the Canadian Hot 100. The song received attention from outlets such as Time Magazine, and pop megastar Katy Perry. She’s also successfully collaborated with Australian singer Troye Sivan on his debut album the same year.
Currently, she’s touring in support of her current record CollXtion II, which was released on June 9th. This is the “sequel” to her EP, CollXtion I. There are so many different types of “pop” music like electropop, power pop, synth-pop and dance-pop. Her latest album encompasses all of these subgenres of pop. It’s one of the best pop albums I’ve heard in years and there’s not one song that doesn’t sound “radio ready.”
The Show:
It was obvious that the Philly crowd, some who had stood out in the rain since 11:30 am for her 9:00 pm show, could not wait to hear it live. Getting there early I spoke to fans before her set and words like “true artist,” “poet,” “inspiration” and “hero” came up.
Once she came out on stage it was obvious the love affair was mutual.
I’ve been to shows where there is hardly any chemistry between the band and crowd at all but this was definitely not that type of night. Her setlist included most of the songs from her new album and a few older tunes. Songs like “Casanova,” “Vintage” and “That’s So Us” had that type of fun melody and catchy chorus I’d expect to hear in the summer blasting from a car with the windows down.
However, what really impressed was when she slowed things down with songs like “Downtown,” “Misbelieving” and “Lifted.” What made the show even more memorable was the crowd. I caught myself smiling many times, they just looked so incredibly happy.
This is definitely an artist you should get to know. She’s different. Allie X is quirky, is a prolific writer,and artsy. It’s the same way I’d describe Gaga and St. Vincent. That’s good company. I feel right now she is slightly under the radar but only one song away from just blowing up the airwaves. I never go out on a limb with opinions like that but after listening to CollXtion II I’m convinced of it.
