If you know me then you know I love seeing my favorite music artists perform live in concert and that I am a huge fan of Beabadoobee’s music. If you are not familiar with Beatrice Laus, better known by her stage name Beabadoobee, she is a musician (singer, songwriter, and guitarist) under the independent record label Dirty Hit. Her music is commonly associated with the genres of indie rock, alternative rock, and bedroom pop. Her friends and bandmates who have supported her on her recent tour and performances include guitarist Jacob Bugden, bassist Eliana Sewell, and drummer Luca Caruso.
Unfortunately, I missed out on her Beatopia North American Tour in 2022 but she announced additional concert dates in 2023 in between her time opening for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. I did not want to miss the opportunity to see her perform live so I was thrilled when I was able to get tickets. In March 2023, I got to see Beabadoobee and her band perform at the Aztec Theatre in San Antonio, TX with my older sister. It is difficult to find words that authentically describe how it felt to hear and see a musician that I admire live, but in short, I will say it was an impressive and entertaining show that Bea and the band put on.
One thing that I find so remarkable about the concert experience is that each performance has its own little uniqueness whether it be commentary from the band, changes to the instrumentals, ad-libs, voice cracks, and more that are not present in the studio versions. These little changes bring out the charming inconsistencies that are distinctive to the performers in real-time versus studio recordings. Additionally, the ambience of a concert with fans clapping, screaming, and singing along to the music makes the auditory experience extra special. I think it is magical that professionally recorded studio albums are able to encapsulate the intricacies of the concert auditory experience that a phone video cannot quite capture. Another thing that makes concerts so memorable for me is that they can be a cathartic experience. I typically listen to music on a normal basis in a calm manner with occasional foot taps and humming, but at certain concerts, you will find me dancing, jumping, singing along to every word, screaming, cheering, and overall exuberant.
Beabadoobee’s Live in London was released on Friday, September 29, 2023. I immediately pre-saved the entire album on Spotify when she began promoting it on her Instagram. I was ecstatic when she announced it. Although I was not at the London show that took place one year ago at O2 Brixton Academy on October 19, 2022, I was looking forward to hearing live recordings that would be reminiscent of my concert experience in San Antonio in some capacity. Her setlist for the Brixton show included five more songs than in the show I saw her at, and excluded “Glue Song” because it was not yet released. It was satisfying to hear the same songs I heard Bea and her band perform live in addition to other songs that were not performed. I appreciate that the live album not only took me on a trip down memory lane but it also allowed me to auditorily experience the concert at Brixton Academy. The Brixton show’s incredibly loud and energetic crowd, Bea’s live vocals, her occasional commentary, and her band’s thrilling instrumentals created a delightfully immersive experience for listeners like myself. Each song seamlessly transitions from one to the other with cheers from the crowd or comments from Bea which creates the perfect build-up for the next song on the album to play.
Top 3 Songs On Live In London
Note: This was ranked according to the order on my Spotify On Repeat playlist. I feel that it accurately reflects my top three. However, the entire album was on repeat for me throughout October 2023.
- Back to Mars (Live in London)
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I adore the song “Back to Mars” on her Fake It Flowers album. It is my favorite song on that album. Her studio version of this song is acoustic and soft but the live band version is “rock-n-roll” with piercing guitar shreds, a cool bass, loud drums, and an upbeat tempo that gets your heart racing in the best way. I am glad that the Band version of the song is now available to listen to on music platforms as previously it was only available as a Youtube video. This song is an example of the cool changes that are specific to her live performance and completely different from the studio recording. I interpret the lyrics as longing to spend a relaxing day at the beach in the south of France with a special someone which sounds so serene with the studio version, but is vibrant and energetic when performed on stage.
- 10:36 (Live in London)
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This performance has a unique introduction that uses a sped-up version of her “Beatopia Cultsong” with a glitching sound and then transitions into the instrumental of “10:36” which is incredible. The crowd yelling and the introduction intensifies that feeling of anticipation before she and her band come out on stage to begin performing. Hearing this recording reminded me of my pure exhilaration when she opened with this song at the San Antonio concert. The lyrics make me think about a one-sided relationship and unrequited love and I like that it ironically has a catchy and upbeat tune. In this performance, I find it so funny how she shouts at someone in the crowd in between singing the song to, “Get Down!” and “Get The F**ck Down!” As someone who was not at the Brixton show, I can only imagine what the concertgoer was trying to do that caught her attention to address it out loud. It reminds me of that viral video of Taylor Swift yelling at a security guard during her performance of “Bad Blood” at the Eras Tour.
- Talk (Live in London)
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This is my favorite song on her Beatopia album because it is the song that got me to look into Bea’s music and appreciate her discography. The song has a captivating guitar instrumental that I love the sound of and a sick guitar solo. Therefore, seeing and hearing it live in San Antonio was an astonishing experience. I am glad that there is now a concert audio available for me to remember that moment. The lyrics remind me of avoiding work and responsibilities on a weekday and going out to do something fun instead even if it is a “bad decision.” I like that the recording finishes with an encore and Bea shares an intimate moment with fans saying, “Just me and you hey.” while reflecting on what a dream come true for her it is to be performing a sold-out show at the Brixton venue and being thankful towards her fans for attending which is so sweet.
I hope this article convinced you to listen to Live in London. I would highly recommend listening to this album in order with noise-canceling headphones to jam out and imagine yourself at the Brixton concert of the Beatopia tour.