ALICE PHOEBE LOU
Alice Phoebe Lou, Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA 4/14/2026
On April 14th, Alice Phoebe Lou brought her ‘Oblivion North American Tour’ to the Union Transfer in Philadelphia, PA. After the release of her latest album, ‘Oblivion’ (2025), Philadelphia was one her first tour stops in America! Joining her tour, John Andrews, a quiet indie folk artist who started his career in the area and has since moved to New York City.
In a sea of sundresses, John Andrews took stage with a stool and guitar in hand. His set mirrored the energy of Alice Phoebe Lou’s music. Playing acoustic versions of his newest album, ‘STREETSWEEPERS’ which was released in early-April this year. He played his guitar quietly but there was an undeniable strength in his voice that seemingly mesmerized his stage presence. Andrews also played songs off of his later projects, John Andrews & The Yawns, with music from albums: ‘Love For The Underdog’, ‘Cookbook’ and ‘Bad Posture’. Between songs, he kept expressing how good it is to be ‘home’ in Philadelphia and he was so grateful for the opportunity to sing his newest music to the people who ‘mean the most to him’. Overall, John Andrews is someone to keep on your radar, if you’re looking for acoustic indie folk!
Alice Phoebe Lou comes from a quite different upbringing because of that navigates the music industry in a very unique way. Born in South Africa, she was exposed to the creative world at a very young age as her mother was a documentarian and father who was involved with theater. As a teenager, she moved to Berlin, Germany where her music really started to get attention from street performances, small venues and word-of-mouth across Europe. Declining multiple record deals, Lou had learned from her parents the importance of independence in your creative ideas and music. Her music is a culmination of indie folk, dreamy pop and soul music. Her music gained major popularity in America from her Covid-19 TikTok viral song ‘Witches”, which has opened many doors including this American tour!
Lou took stage with a warm welcome from the Philadelphia crowd, as she started an acoustic mini-set opening with the song, ‘Hammer’ and ‘Sailor’. It wasn’t the fourth song where she addressed the crowd by saying “ Hello, Philadelphia. I have been waiting to visit you” and then continued with “I am going to play an older song but it’s really sad. But I think you’re here because you like sad music” and proceeded to play ‘How to Get Out of Love’ (2021) which is a heartbreaking song of a failed relationship.
Throughout the set, she moved from instrument to instrument- starting with the guitar( both acoustic and electric), piano/keyboard, and omnicord. After her mini-solo acoustic set, John Andrews then joined her to add layered indie folk and jazz sound to her set. He proceeded to play, bass guitar and keyboard/synth which created a richer sound to her already beautiful discography. The majority of songs she played was off her new album ‘Oblivion’ while also incorporating songs from her past albums, ‘Glow’(2021) and ‘Shelter’ (2023). It wasn’t until the end of her set where she played her more popular songs such as ‘The Surface”, ‘Open My Door’ and ‘Witches’.
Overall, this show was fit for spring… After holding their breath tight during the endlessly cold winter, the crow seemingly emanated a breath of fresh air. Alice Phoebe Lou is touring all over North America (including some festival dates), ‘Oblivion North American Tour’, it is a cerebral and dreamy set that shouldn’t be missed when she visits your city!
Shot and Written by Sarah Bruno
