Photos and review by Jennie Book
@jenniebookphotography

On October 20^th, the sold-out Independent in San Francisco was packed to the brim with kids hyped to see Wasia Project, the band made up of 21-year-old William Gao and 19-year-old Olivia Hardy, siblings from England making their way through North America on their Isotope tour.

Over a 16-song set that included hits like “ur so pretty” and “My Lover Is Sleeping,” plus a Sade cover of “Smooth Operator” that saw Gao divide the venue down the middle and ask each side to sing parts of the chorus, Hardy’s voice captivated the crowd and got fans swooning. Gao and Hardy, plus touring musicians Tom Pacitti on bass and Luca Wade drums, brought tight, jazzy, ethereal melodies to the stage, a signature sound the band is known for.

Song 14 brought the night to a fake end with “Tell Me Lies (fin),” then the band left the stage before returning moments later for the two song encore that included “Misfit Biscuit” and “impossible.”

Undoubtedly some of the crowd was there to see Gao after watching him act in Netflix’s popular “Heartstopper” show, but it’s no question they left as fans of the duo after the intimate and emotional music the band brought to San Francisco.

For all the latest Wasia Project news, check out www.wasiaproject.com.