Ever since sneaking upon the indie scene with their remarkable Sun Giant EP earlier this year, Fleet Foxes have delivered on each romise. Their self-titled debut full-length was universally lauded upon its release last month and, as Tuesday night’s show at Philadelphia’s First Unitarian Church proved, they have a live act as rich and rewarding as their records. It shouldn’t have been so easy: the sold-out show was so uncomfortably hot that many audience members had to step outside, and the sweltering band was constantly wiping sweat off with makeshift rags. “So this is what hell is like,” lead singer Robin Pecknold playfully quipped.

The heat made the crowd restless but no less enthusiastic. Each song from Fleet Foxes and Sun Giant was met with a reverence that should have taken the band years to develop. Credit their instantly familiar brand of classic folk music, which uses interlocking vocal harmonies as a backbone. Songs such as “Mykonos” and “Ragged Wood” rely on pinpoint vocal changes and perfectly layered melodies that a less ambitious band would back away from during a performance. The fact that Fleet Foxes flat-out nailed both songs was enough to justify the mountain of hype.    

While there were usually three or four band members singing at any particular time, Tuesday’s show established Pecknold as one of the most striking new voices in the expanding world of indie-folk music. “Oliver James,” which Pecknold performed alone with his guitar, was a haunting mix of deft songwriting and naked emotion that stunned the audience. Pecknold and the rest of Fleet Foxes may be just stepping into the spotlight, yet they were just as captivating as a veteran act playing their greatest hits. A sweltering show but deeply satisfying nonetheless.  

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