Arriving at your first packed-out concert in 20 months is a pretty overwhelming experience; if you haven’t had it yet, brace yourself! After spending months and months trying to keep your distance from everyone, suddenly you find yourself packed with like-minded masked-up double-vaccinated muso’s like nothing ever changed!
First on the bill tonight is Icelandic singer-songwriter Laufey. Björk comparisons seem lazy and obvious, but appear to fit pretty well once she appears on the small stage of La Ministère with her guitar. Vocally though, things are very different, with her soft delicate tones much more reminiscent of Billie Holiday. The enchanting 30-minute acoustic set ends with James, the account of a bad date with a guy that draws laughs from around the room, suggesting everyone in the room can relate.
Lockdown has unquestionably affected all of us; nobody is immune, not even tonight’s headliner, Alexander 23. The slick, clean-cut gentleman from the promotional pictures and the Spotify playlists has been replaced by a long, scraggly-haired, stubbly guy. So it wasn’t just me! Still, the enthusiasm with which one girl screams “DON’T EVER CUT YOUR HAIR!” midway through the set shows that it would take more than that to dampen the adoration of Alexander’s fanbase! Right off the bat, it’s clear that they are a devoted bunch, phone lights taking to the air on the very bars of Cry Over Boys, and popping up and down throughout the duration of the set. After such a mellow start, Girl picks up the pace with its moody beats and catchy choruses cut from the same cloth as Girl In Red and Conan Gray. As Brainstorm fades out, a huge neon heart behind Alexander pulses intensely in the lead-in to 20 Something, which makes the tiny space of La Ministère feel like a Bell Centre spectacle. Raucous singalongs from the crowd accompany almost every song too, especially on the pogo-inducing cover of Teenage Dream by Katy Perry, which affords the tag-alongs in the crowd the chance to join in the party too. The hour-long set closes out with the breakthrough song IDK You Yet, the most stadium-anthem moment of the night (expect to hear that in a movie soundtrack sometime soon), and Dirty AF1s, song titles that are about as contemporary as you can get!
One of the biggest cheers of the night arrives in response to Alexander excitedly asking the rabid crowd: “HOW GOOD DOES IT FEEL TO BE BACK AT SHOWS?!” It felt fantastic. It remains to be seen whether Omicron will throw another wrench into our lives and our gig calendars over the coming months. But for tonight, we were back, and it felt amazing; thanks for asking, and thanks for making it happen!
Review & photos – Simon Williams
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