Concert Recap: November & December
For the past three months, I have been solo travelling around Europe. The trip was full of art, food and meeting new friends. I love being on my own and having the freedom to explore at my own pace. Towards the end of the trip, I got the chance to see a few concerts, so of course I did. Here’s a recap of the shows I saw in November and December.
In Paris, I saw The Beaches on their Blame My Ex Tour. This is quite ironic in the city of love, and the band made sure to point that out. The show was in a small venue and it felt magical to walk along the Seine to the show after buying myself the ticket that same morning. There was a lot of excitement around the show since this was their first-ever gig in Paris, and the band did not disappoint. The concert felt fun and spontaneous. They make something really hard look super easy and the band members' chemistry on stage is undeniable. I would assume that they have been playing together for a long time.
They mostly played songs from their new record Blame My Ex. A record full of honest and catchy indie pop bangers. My favourite songs are Blame Brett, Everything is Boring and Edge of The Earth. Two of the band members are sisters, and they had brought their dad along to sell merchandise. He was filming the crowd and singing along to all the songs which was super heartwarming to see.
I also saw Hozier’s Unreal Unearth Tour in Berlin. A band called The Last Dinner Party opened the show. I fell in love with their stage presence, as well as their storytelling and their sound. The lead singer was spinning in a flowy dress and the audience’s eyes were glued to her the whole time. The style of music and aesthetics reminds me of Florence + The Machine, whom they have also opened for earlier this year.
A lot of the songs explore queer themes, that tie together with religion which is something that I love in music. I like to call it gay church music. Hozier is also known for making gay church music. The most well known example is his biggest hit Take Me To Church, which has been embraced by the queer community over the past few years. The Last Dinner Party have four songs out at the time I’m writing this. I’m looking forward to their debut album Prelude To Ecstasy, which will be released on the 2nd of February 2024.
When Hozier walked on to the stage, the energy was high. His new album Unreal Unearth is beautiful and heartbreaking. I actually avoided listening to it for months when it first came out, because I had a feeling it would make me sad (and it did). I hadn’t listened that much before the show, but it didn’t matter that I didn’t know most of the lyrics. It was incredible to hear it live and just let it hit me.
He has a voice that I believe could fill stadiums. This was actually the biggest venue he had ever played in his career, but even in an arena, the show felt pretty intimate. The setlist was also really well put together. He played all of the songs that I was hoping for. I really love his first record and thankfully he remembered to include most of my favourite songs in the set. Some of his best songs in my opinion are Like Real People Do, Cherry Wine, Movement and Unknown / Nth.
The next night I saw Chappell Roan, in Berlin as well. Her tour is called The Midwest Princess Tour, named after her debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. Her songs are explicitly queer pop bangers. The aesthetics are quite tacky in an early 2000s way. The style reminds me of when I was like 11 years old and the thing I loved most in the world was pop music and glitter. It’s magical to finally have a queer pop princess, and luckily I still love pop music and glitter just as much as I did at 11.
Chappell Roan shows are special. Before every tour, she finds local drag queens in all of the cities where she is playing. The opening of every show is a drag show, which is such a smart way to get the crowd warmed up since the drag queens will usually sing songs that people already know. It is also an incredible way to support local queer artists in the places she visits. The audience is encouraged to tip the queens and attend their shows in the city.
Every show also has a theme. That night the show was My Kink is Karma themed, inspired by the aesthetics of the song with the same name, which are red and leather. The majority of the crowd were dressed up and I loved seeing everyone’s outfits. Chappell Roan has incredible stage presence whilst she runs around the stage in high heels (it’s insane in the best way). She also plays some slower songs, and she did a cover of Bad Romance by Lady Gaga which was so much fun. Berlin loved her and soon the whole world is going to love her as well. Next year, she is opening for Olivia Rodrigo on the GUTS Tour, which I’m sure will make her a lot more famous then she already is. I’m going to miss having her as my secret popstar, but she deserves every ounce of success coming her way.