Polica @ Kung Fu Necktie.

Text and images by Grace Dickinson.

“I used to live by a Girard Street back in Minneapolis,” recalled Channy Leaneagh of Polica to a sold-out crowd at Kung Fu Necktie Saturday, just a block away from Philly’s own Girard Avenue.

It was her second time in the city, delivering the bold, reverbed vocals that give her album, Give You The Ghost, a very characterized sound.

Playing her way through many of the songs on their 2012 album, including “Wandering Star” and “I See My Mother,” Leaneagh’s voice rang true to her recorded tracks.

Alongside a very talented bassist and two drummers who coordinated surprisingly well, Leaneagh sang a few new ones as well. All had that signature electronic vocalization that strays away from the Leaneagh’s clean-cut vocals in her old band, Roma di Luna.

Polica was opened by Shai Halperin of Sweet Lights (bottom image), another reverb-heavy vocalist who echoed through room in between creative bouts of what seemed like subliminal messaging. The Philly native’s one-man-band drew a surprising crowd, packing the room pretty early on.

Polica is currently on their way to play a couple sold out shows in NYC but look for them on May 16 when they’ll be swinging by Philadelphia again to play at Johnny Brenda’s.