Photos by Dylan Simmons
“You know, this is the most ridden bus line in Los Angeles,” I told Dylan while we rode the 720 rapid last Saturday. She graciously feigned interest in this fact that I had pilfered from my roommate, although on review, I have been unable to find any actual support for it. We were chatting en route from Westwood to the Wiltern, where we were catching Arlo Parks on night two of her North American tour for her second album, My Soft Machine, which came out last May.
We arrived around 7:30 pm, escaping noncommittal rain for the warm lobby of the Wiltern. Bartenders tempted us with lightsticks and enchanting offers: there were somewhere between four and one million bars in the venue, none of which give water out for free. We headed straight to the music hall, where the crowd hummed with anticipation. The audience spanned multiple demographics–from students to esoteric members of the LA art world, teenagers with their parents to twenty somethings.
Parks is joined on this tour by Los Angeles based singer/songwriter Chloe George, who came on a little after eight to a small but mighty chorus of cheers (endearingly, many came from her friends). George primed the crowd perfectly for Parks’ following set with a setlist of songs showcasing her style, which sits somewhere between pop and R&B.
Her set was upbeat, with the exception of the emotional “Losing You”. When transitioning into the song, George adorably apologized for the change in vibe with an English-accented “Sorry!” and then immediately expressed regret, admitting “I didn’t want to do a British accent”–an allusion perhaps to Parks, who is from West London. Though the Wiltern was still not quite full, George held her own and showed that she is definitely a newcomer to watch. With the audience satisfied, she took her leave.
As the house lights came on, audience members continued to trickle into the theater. Just after 9 pm, the lights dimmed again. As the band took the stage, we heard “I wish I was bruiseless” come through the speakers as Parks materialized on stage to perform the opening track of her album. This short track, inspired by a conversation Parks had with author Ocean Vuong, leans more spoken word than singing compared to the rest of her discography, a testament to her background as a poet. After briefly introducing herself and revealing that she had been “backstage listening to the new Charli XCX single, which is giving me wings,” she followed the brief and poetic “Bruiseless” with two of the album’s singles, “Weightless” and “Blades”.
Parks admitted to the crowd that this was basically a hometown show; though the singer and poet hails from West London, she has been based in LA since 2022. Keeping the mood of the audience up, Parks launched into the self-professed oldie but goldie “Caroline”, a fan favorite that was met with the crowd singing along to every word.
From there, Parks went through a setlist that carefully blended tracks from her new album with ones from Collapsed in Sunbeams, Parks’ 2021 Mercury Prize winning debut. Her soft, warm voice filled up the Wiltern effortlessly, as the crowd watched her intently and softly sang along. Notably, Parks’ long-standing collaboration with her band, spanning nearly a decade, shined brightly. This was especially evident in “Too Good” and “Hurt”, where guitarist Dani Diadoto and bassist Sam Harding elevated the live versions with additional arrangements and solos, stretching out the songs and creating ample opportunities for the audience to appreciate their synergy.
One of the most engaging charms of Parks’ performance lies in stories and anecdotes she weaves between songs, delivered with an intimate touch that makes you feel like you’re getting coffee with a friend or participating in a group therapy session (often aren’t these one and the same?). Prior to the mesmerizing track “I’m Sorry”, for example, Parks shared with us the backstory of its creation, detailing a period in her life where she found herself surrounded by supportive individuals yet struggled to fully let down her guard. This sentiment resonated deeply with many in the audience, who shared audible sighs of understanding.
Transitioning into “Black Dog”, Parks revealed that it was written after her first time in New York, which she likened to having a crush on someone. Though a Los Angeles crowd is usually not the best audience for compliments about New York, the crowd was besotted enough with Parks by that point that they let it slide.
Closing out the show, Parks donned an electric guitar to perform “Hope”, “Sophie”, and “Devotion”, showcasing the undeniable chemistry she shares with her bandmates, who exuded an infectious sense of enjoyment throughout. The show culminated with the catchy “Softly” as an encore, prompting the crowd to let loose and dance with abandon before the final curtain fell.
Listen to My Soft Machine below!
