A Captivating Night with sombr
- Emma Zoe Polyak
- Jul 20, 2024
- 3 min read
Rising indie star sombr lived up to and exceeded expectations at his performance last week. I had the pleasure of seeing him at the Foundry in Philadelphia and was immediately drawn to the eager crowd waiting for sombr’s show.
He has a way of thrilling and captivating his fans, not only with his vocals, but with his charisma, personality, and attire too. The dimly lit stage and intimate venue only added to his charm, and he repeatedly stepped off stage to interact with fans. At only 19, he had an ease to performing far beyond his years.
But sombr was by no means a one-man-show. His vocals – and truly, his entire set – were lifted up and amplified by the talented band he had on stage. Each musician worked together in a beautiful harmony, from slower, moodier songs, to absolutely rocking out on sombr’s up-tempo songs. It was a class-act all around.
At one point, a fan passed him a sign to draw a tattoo on. While many artists would have ignored such a gesture, sombr paused the show to draw a heart, making sure to include the crowd in his decision. At another, he made a note to his band to help him take off the gift fans had been handing to him throughout the show. In moments like these, his humble and thoughtful nature shone through; you could tell he loved his fans as much as they loved him.
Born and raised in New York City, sombr started gaining attention through a series of tracks that went viral on TikTok. Along with signing to Warner, he then moved to LA, where he created his debut EP, in another life. His breakout track “Caroline,” (which he played much to fans’ delight) is currently sitting with over 30 million streams – a testament to his hard work.
“I wrote this song when I was 16 years old, and I was going to school every day, and I was just not happy in life, and I wasn’t going to post the song originally because I thought I would get bullied online, but one night I thought ‘Fuck it,’ so I posted it. And the next morning I woke up and my life had changed. And now because of that, I’m here with you guys,” shared sombr about “Caroline,” encouraging the crowd to follow their dreams and just go for it.
The lovely tone for the night was set by Hana Eid, who put the crowd at ease with her friendly banter about relationships, heartbreak, and her life. Armed with just her guitar, Eid was a graceful force on the stage, playing stripped-down versions of her otherwise rockier songs. She treated early-arrivers to some unreleased songs, and it’s safe to say she won some new fans.
Sombr’s tour continues through July, find all the dates here, and check out the full concert gallery here.
Setlist
i’ll remember tonight never find u burner phone savior willow ivy silhouette don’t let me down i don’t know you anymore my house is warm in your arms would’ve been you weak caroline
