Johnny Brenda’s has hosted several exceptionally quick sell-outs of soon-to-be superstars this year, notably hyperpop chanteuse Hannah Diamond and queer country icon CMAT. However, none have seemed to be quite as destined for superstardom as Dublin-born, London-based singer/songwriter Orla Gartland, who played an immediately sold-out show on her immediately sold-out first-ever headlining tour of North America at the 250-capacity “mini rock n’ roll ballroom” last Monday, November 11th. The tour is in support of the cheeky indie popper’s sophomore LP, Everybody Needs A Hero, which dropped last month on her own label, New Friends.
The crowd, who had to buy tickets the instant of their onsale in order to gain admission, packed the second-floor hall of the Fishtown corner bar as if it were The Fillmore (either the original or Philthy’s version, which is roughly across the street). To leisurely arrivers, the upstairs bar appeared largely empty 30 minutes prior to Gartland taking the stage, against which they were firmly packed… so much so that Orla actually managed to casually stroll through the front entrance and around the corner to the backstage area unnoticed.
“What an iconic room,” Gartland proclaimed, four songs into the set, prior to “Oh GOD,” off of 2020’s Freckle Season EP, before promising the audience a night of, “songs from all through the ages,” introducing the quirky tale of teenage lust as, “a song about Catholic guilt… Catholic guilt, right here in Philly,” to raucous cheers. She delivered on her promise, bringing songs spanning her two full-lengths, last two EPs, and a 2018 standalone single (which was sort of selected by a fan…)
Gartland’s charmingly colourful (I’m sure that’s the spelling with which she’s most comfortable.) commentaries continued throughout the duration of the 90-minute set. Her sophomore LP’s savage “Three Words Away” (which includes the line, “I’m three words away from absolutely fucking ruining your life”) was presented as, “the villain anthem.” An acoustic take on recent ballad “Mine” was preceded with, “I’m gonna absolutely fucking devastate you with the next one. It’s the saddest song.” And prior to post-breakup anthem “Figure It Out” she playfully pestered, “I’m ready for angry. Are you ready to get angry?”
However, the overall sentiment of the night was certainly joyous (even if largely achieved in retrospective reflection). Singles released just this year (“The Hit,” “Late To The Party,” and “Little Chaos”) inspired singalongs of epic pop proportions in likely the most intimate room they’ll be for quite some time. The already fabled portion of the show when Orla Gartland’s “Wheel of Fortune” was brought onstage, to enable a few lucky audience members the chance to potentially select a favorite deep cut with which to treat the crowd, had two fans reacting as if they were being handed the mic by Taylor Swift. And as her crew struggled to wiggle the actual wheel up onto the stage of Johnny Brenda’s, Gartland reminded us that this audience, in particular, was getting the chance to see something that very few will: “It’s the smallest stage we’ve done!”
*Listen for Orla Gartland on the next edition of Philthy Radio, 12/20 (9-11pm ET) on Y-Not Radio.
