Philly Mostly Vegan: Guards (and Writer) opened for Cults at Johnny Brenda's 6/7

I was stoked to see Guards play live, as I've been listening to their music nonstop recently. That excitement was only perpetuated by seeing a live session that the band did for MTV (see my favorite from the session below).

It was clear that most of the audience was there to see Cults, but Guards had everyone dancing to their pop rock music. They have great stage presence and an energy that I felt was a little too much for the small Johnny Brenda's stage. To my (and my camera's) dismay, the sweet fog machine that they decided to use during their set for cool effects took a serious toll on my ability to produce pretty pictures. Props to Paul for the lighting effects, making a nearly impossible job a little more possible.

Guards Tags: Guards, MTV Hive

Bio - TAYF PR "Guards was formed in New York City when Richie James Follin returned from a European tour to a recording studio with nothing in it but a broken electric 12 string guitar and an omnichord. He wrote and recorded a few songs for his little sister to sing on ,but ended up singing on the songs himself. He enlisted the help of his friends (Caroline Polachek of Chairlift, James Richardson of MGMT, Loren Shane Humphrey of Willowz) and family (Madeline Follin of Cults) to guest on some songs and they spread the word without his knowledge via twitter and the internet. Then, he decided to give the songs away for free.

Richie James Follin is 27 and he is originally from southern California. He started the Willowz (lead singer and guitarist) when he was 19 in 2002 and has released 4 records with them as well as a solo record and multiple other projects.

Site | No Facebook or Twitter for these guys...

MORE PHOTOS HERE

Cults, the indie pop headliners, opened their set with album opener "Abducted," which was oh-so-fitting since the show was a celebration of their record release for Cults. I might be making things up, but it seemed as if someone turned the volume up (like, times two) for their set. I quickly decided that this was the only way their live performance should be - loud! So loud that my ears were significantly ringing for the rest of the night. The hearing damage is worth it. Buy their brand new album, Cults, here.

Members: Madeline Follin (Vocals), Brian Oblivion (Beats, Guitar, Vocals)

Site | Like | Follow

MORE PHOTOS HERE

The brother duo, Writer, opened the show with a whole lot of blue lighting. Basically, if you were trying to be fashionably late to this show and missed their set, you should be kicking yourself right now. The indie rock band from San Diego rocked the lightly packed room of Johnny Brenda's. There was even a heartfelt "aww" moment when the two brothers huddled around the same mic, producing an amazing songs with great harmonies. I'm currently scouring the internet to figure out the song name.

Members: Andy and James Ralph

Site | Like | Follow