A Spellbinding Invitation into the World of San Fermin: Concert Review
Photo Courtesy of San Fermin/Big Hassle PR
I’ve had a lot of time to think about why I love music as much as I do. In many ways, Rhapsody in Reverie is a grand investigation into that question for me. Through all the years, albums and shows, I think my favorite thing about music is the invitation into a new world with each new artist I hear. With a band as inventive and expressive as Brooklyn band San Fermin, I’ve had the pleasure of exploring their world throughout four records. So when the opportunity to catch San Fermin live at Union Transfer, my favorite venue in Philadelphia, I knew that my world and the world of San Fermin were about to align for a truly exciting evening.
My night started with a set from New York band Wild Pink, and from the second I saw that lap steel guitar I was sold. I imagine opening for a band like San Fermin - one with such a singular and unique identity - has to be a daunting challenge. The question becomes how do you stand out to make yourself noticed in the minds of your audience. Wild Pink did this easily with killer lap steel slides and songs that were cohesive and, at the same time, surprised me pleasantly at every turn. At some point, I felt like one song would take me on the journey of three in just a span of a few minutes. Lead singer John Ross had a way of making me sit up and take notice of what he was trying to say and every one of their songs captured my attention and spoke to the heart brilliantly.
As Wild Pink left the stage and I watched as crew members begin setting up for San Fermin, it suddenly dawned on me that I hadn’t really thought about how I imagined San Fermin would sound like live. How would it feel to hear songs that fill my brain with such an eerie yet wild and wonderful imagery surround me and vibrate through my body? I've poured over their albums and dived deep into their sonic world and yet I found myself standing there not truly knowing what I was getting myself into. As the lights dimmed, I certainly thought San Fermin would be good, but I wasn't prepared for just how blown away I ended up being by the amount of talent I saw on that stage.
With Philadelphia being both a homecoming show for Allen Tate and the final stop on San Fermin’s tour, the energy radiating off the stage was warm and jovial right from the start. And what I witnessed on stage for the rest of their set felt like a celebration of creative synchronicity, in a way that felt so fresh and magical. Throughout the entire night, every single person on that stage was in the moment - an instrument in hand, all hands on deck - and weaving together each song brilliantly. At one point in the show, composer and primary songwriter Ellis Ludwig Leone and vocalist and guitarist Allen Tate joked about the musical chairs approach they all seem to have when it came down to who played what instrument on which song and I couldn’t have described it better myself. My eyes darted wildly around the stage all night, eager to catch every movement.
With so much to see, I found myself mesmerized by each individual’s skill all night. Vocalists Claire Wellin and Karlie Bruce’s harmony and haunted voices broke my heart during “The Myth.” Trumpeter John Brandon and saxophonist Stephen Chen jumping into the audience during “Sonsick” invigorated me. Allen Tate’s vocals on “Methuselah” sounded just vulnerable and earnest in the intimate club as they did burrowing into my ears at home.
Drummer Michael Hanf moved my body for me with the infectious beat of “Swamp Song” - a brand new song from San Fermin’s upcoming record, The Cormorant II, that I am itching to have released in the world so I can listen to it on a loop for hours. And my mind was blown watching Ellis Ludwig Leone’s hands travel nimbly across multiple keyboards on songs like “The Cormorant”. Every single member on stage owned their moment and contribution, standing out in their own way yet still moving together to form the mythical beast of a band that is San Fermin.
I’ve always been awe of bandleader and composer, Ellis Ludwig Leone’s talent as a songwriter. His creations stir up a darkly colorful new territory with every note and word and watching these songs come to life around me pulled me deep into it. Spellbinding and immersive, wicked and wonderful - I left the venue and stepped back into the rain knowing that it was an honor to be invited into their world, if only for a night.