There was an eerie feeling outside Club Soda as I arrived at 8:05 PM. It was devoid of the usual hustle and bustle outside the venue.
As I entered Club Soda, I heard the eruption of cheering combined with music.
Had I missed the opening band? Why was the crowd so ecstatic?
I quickly bought a vinyl of Beatopia while the merch table was empty, and I crossed the threshold of the venue, packed with excited and vocal fans.
There was barely any room on the main floor, so I made my way to the front of the balcony, getting the last seat with an amazing vantage point.
What I saw was a venue packed with an army of seemingly young female fans completely engrossed with the opening act.
Lowertown
Before the show, the Bandcamp description fooled me into thinking this was a “blend of electronic and lo-fi instrumentation with meaningful lyricism and melancholy, narrative lyrics.”
Yeah right!
Olivia Osby and Avshalom Weinberg (a.k.a. Avsha the Awesome) had the energy in the room cranked to 11, with the stage presence of a headliner!
Like a young Courtney Love, Olivia had the audience eating out of the palm of her hand. Her nylons like how we felt at the height of the pandemic: Hanging by a thread.
It was a high intensity set with songs like Scum & My Friends.
They ended with Best Person You Know, having put their all into the performance, leaving the audience wanting more.
At the end of the evening, I found a nearby ATM and made sure to pick up their cassette for I Love To Lie album.
Beabadoobee
Sitting in the balcony next to another dad, we commented on how our presence did little to add testosterone to this crowd.
His daughter is the perfect fan for the artist, but probably not for the venue, like the majority of this crowd.
Upon arrival, she picked up a t-shirt, hoodie and vinyl album, dropping a good $125+ on merch.
Yet, this was not a crowd to frequent the bar, as it was pretty empty the whole night.
The room was clearly filled for Beatrice Kristi Laus, better known as beabadoobee.
I remember when I first heard Talk, it instantly took me back to the 90s: Veruca Salt, Juliana Hatfield & Liz Phair came to mind.
When it comes to singing about your feelings, Bea is a heavyweight and can knock out almost any other singer.
It’s that strength through vulnerability that attracts so many of her fans to come to the show and scream those lyrics to the point that Bea wouldn’t even need to sing, although that would be a shame.
The screams started as Beatopia Cultsong started and intensified by the time 10:36 was underway.
I put my metaphysical seat belt on, because this was going to be a wild ride.
Song after song, the chorus of the fans, along with Bea, created this bond where everyone was performing.
Like Lowertown, the live performance was more intense than the recorded versions, the band giving it their all.
I almost felt bad for the talent on stage, as the magnetic charisma pull of Bea seemed to attract all eyes on her.
Eliana Sewell layer some serious bass riffs, while Jacob Bugden used the multitude of guitar pedals to their full potential, and Luca Caruso laid the foundation on drums.
The band played through the discography, but Bea admitted that See You Soon was her favourite off the Beatopia album, which refers to the imaginary world she created as a child.
The set ended with Talk, which was so satisfying to hear live.
For the encore, Bea returned sitting on a stool, acoustic guitar in hand and sang her breakthrough hit Coffee.
She was joined by Jacob for Ripples, before unleashing Cologne with the full band.
Conclusion
Both bands put on a stellar show, with a crowd that seemed mesmerized by their every move. The sheer charisma of both lead singers would be scary if they were cult leaders offering you Kool-Aid. Luckily, their goal was to share the songs they put their heart, blood, sweat and many tears into.
It was a fantastic show, which cements Beabadoobee as a powerhouse of a performer.
The bonus was meeting Bea on her way to the hotel, so my vinyl got signed.
What a night!
Photos: Steve Gerrard
Writer: Randal Wark is a Professional Speaker and MasterMind Facilitator with a passion for live music. You can follow him on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. His Podcast RockStar Today helps musicians quit their day jobs with out-of-the-box advice from Ted Talk Speakers, Best Selling Authors and other interesting Entrepreneurs and Creatives. He created the Rock Star Today Music Business Jam Session for musicians. Randal is a collector of signed vinyl, cassettes and CDs.
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