Photos by Chloe Gonzales
Alice Phoebe Lou’s socks were tie-dyed. Sprightly and balletic, they brazenly traced the Lodge Room’s stage; if Alice Phoebe Lou can be deemed anything, it’s whimsical. Light on the balls of her feet, Lou radiated merriment in an earnest, almost child-like way, her small movements and bashful smile permanent fixtures throughout an hour and a half set. Playing her second of three sold-out nights at Highland Park’s Lodge Room, The South African born singer-songwriter brought a warmth and profound humanness to a set honoring an ever-evolving, overwhelmingly successful synth pop discography.
Multi-instrumentalist Salami Rose Joe Louis was set to open the night, gracing the Lodge Room’s stage with an intimate seated performance at once animalistic and ethereal in its spontaneity. Accompanied by improvised basslines, Louis worked a unique magic on the synthesizer, producing gurgling beats over which she projected melodic vocalizations. The stretch of Louis’ set she deemed “mellow” was a still-water pond then, lethargic though teeming with lush textures. The “wild and crazy” part was a river rapid, unpredictable and ubiquitous in an unrestrained rush.
Alice Phoebe Lou’s set commenced with the bona-fide lullaby “Angel,” which highlights the serenity in Lou’s gentle vocal oscillations, accompanied by bluesy keys and a lingering slide guitar. Bathed in a sultry mahogany light, Alice Phoebe Lou goaded an immersed crowd with the barren vocalizations kicking off “Only When I.” Her voice reached new luxuriant depths accompanied only by the occasional twinkle of the keys; that is until nearly a minute in when at long last drum beats entered the scene. Maintaining a measured tempo, “Only When I’s” yearning qualities were manifested in in-the-pocket instrumentation. Lou’s ebullience singing “Open My Door” was palpable, as the singer tossed her arms with seeming abandon, caressing her body as she swayed, eyes-closed, along to the empowering track. A recurrent motif in Lou’s work, “Open My Door” discusses the tension between solitude and romantic companionship, ultimately harping on the idea of Alice taking her life back into her own hands.
Hands busied by an electric guitar, Lou accompanied “Glow” with an upbeat, bedroom pop guitar groove; the title track from 2021’s Glow is one of the album’s cheeriest tracks, although the album’s melancholy creeps into lyrics like “There’s an empty space/Where you once offered yourself to me.” Trading in the electric for an acoustic guitar, “Underworld,” was one of my favorites from the night. Lou was literally bouncing with joy as she navigated an omnipresent organ drone. Paired with sprightly guitar melodies, Lou’s effervescent vocals were lilting and sweet. Flowing straight into “Witches,” the Lodge Room’s crowd was at long last unleashed, stagnation replaced by undulation. Glimmering synths and a steady drum beat color the nostalgia-inducing track, with “Witches” being an appropriate name for a song with such infectious textures. “Witches” presented Alice Phoebe Lou at her most danceable and infectious, departing from a bluesy lethargy to embrace crowd-pleasing synth pop.
My conclusion for the night is as follows: it’s Alice Phoebe Lou’s world and we are all living in it. Entering the Lodge Room was to accept an invitation into Lou’s rapturous universe, and I found myself unable to tear my eyes from the singer throughout her entire hour-and-a-half set. I recall struggling to piece together how such a lovely crystalline voice could really be emanating from the physical body just before me, too spellbinding and perfect to be true.
Listen to You and I, Alice Phoebe Lou’s latest release, here:
