I’ve never been a massive fan of big concerts. Look, I’ve got nothing against them, and I
totally understand the appeal; the thrill of seeing your favourite artist live in a sea of fellow
worshippers, knowing the artist is in the same room as you, hearing that one song you feel so
much of yourself in. The list really does go on. But I’ve always preferred a smaller, more
intimate gig. Less likely with a big superstar, for sure, but I like standing in a small venue and
the intimate feeling of seeing an artist so up close and personal. So going into the Ultrasound
Tour, I didn’t really have any expectations. But somehow, both Lorde and Blood Orange blew
me away and have set a golden bar of standard across every single concert I will see going
forward.
Seated comfortably in the AO Arena, the place where I saw my first ever concert (Little Mix
of course), I knew already that I would be in for a treat. While I didn’t see the first opening
act, the second was Dev Hynes, perhaps better known as Blood Orange. I am by no means an
avid listener, but my God his set was mesmerising to say the least. Minimal, funky and raw,
when I was listening to him, there was no sense of an arena being there. It felt as though
everyone else melted away, as if he was performing these songs just for me to hear. At one
point he brought out a cello and started ferociously playing it, the entire arena silent and
absorbed in his rhythmic movements. A single spotlight on him, he proceeded to play a cover
of The Smiths’s ‘How Soon is Now’, a very fitting song for the first night of the UK tour and
in Manchester of all places. Although I do have to say that my two favourite songs he played
were ‘Charcoal Baby’ and ‘Champagne Coast’, both beautifully performed and both
reminding me that I need need need to listen to more Blood Orange.
Then she appeared; our saviour, our Lorde. Dressed in a tank top and jeans and emerging
from a sea of blue light, Lorde dove straight into ‘Hammer’, the opening song on her new
album Virgin. Already buzzing, Lorde sent us straight into a pool of euphoric nostalgia by
singing her most famous song ‘Royals’. I mean come on, it’s a classic, and hearing it live was
certainly special. Although, Lorde is no longer that sixteen year old girl; ten years on, she’s
revealing new parts of herself to her adoring fans. Throughout the show, she preceded to be
more vulnerable in front of the crowd, unzipping her trousers and making her tank top
smaller. She is completely raw onstage, holding a kind of power only known to stars like her-
she is shining bright and proud for us all to see, and all we can do is watch in awe. It truly
was a sight to behold, seeing someone so powerful onstage and being in the same presence as
her.
All the rest of the set was amazing, with a nice mix of Virgin with some of her older stuff
(unfortunately no Solar Power), leaving everyone in the audience satisfied. Her second to last
song was ‘David’, perhaps the most known song off Virgin, and one that was a delight to see
live. As she was singing, she walked through the crowd wearing an iridescent jacket, quite
literally lighting up the room and those lucky fans around her. It was amazing to watch, and
an amazing song to hear live.
For me, Lorde’s songs, more akin to scriptures every young person should study, seem to
capture the zeitgeist of our generation. A generation shrouded in nostalgia, for a time our
parents talk about where everything was affordable, and phones weren’t rotting our souls. A
time when we were all fourteen, hopeless in a way, but excited for what was to come. Lorde
captures the fear of getting older, losing friendships, losing ourselves in the journey, but
above all coming out okay. Maybe a more vulnerable raw versions of ourselves, but ourselves
all the same. All these confusing and powerful emotions were captured in the final song of
the concert, in which she ended in ‘Ribs’. Listening to this with one of my closest friends,
holding each other with tears in our eyes was truly a beautiful thing. Whilst ‘that will never
be enough’, being in a space dripping in emotions of fear and faith in the future in the same
way as me was soul fulfilling.
So, as I’m sure you can tell, I had a spectacular evening. I’ve certainly been listening to more
Blood Orange and Lorde since, and if anyone reading gets the chance to see either of them
live, I command you to do it. Trust me, you will not regret it.