After weeks of studying Lorde’s live shows on TikTok, the Kiwi pop star finally landed in England to begin the European leg of her Solar Power Tour. At the final show of her three-night Roundhouse residency, Lorde pulled out all the stops to prove why she’ll remain a part of pop history.
'Solar Power' holds an interesting position in Lorde’s discography. Whilst her debut, 2013’s 'Pure Heroine' contained Lorde’s biggest hit to date, ‘Royals’, 2017’s 'Melodrama' is probably considered as the most beloved album. It captured all the turbulent social dynamics of party life, interwoven with the painful observations of a long-term breakup. Meanwhile, 'Solar Power' received mixed critical reception – although CLASH gave 'Solar Power' a 9/10, a surprising number of outlets assigned scores much lower. The low-key instrumentation and the half-baked satire underwhelmed fans and critics alike, which made me nervous to see how 'Solar Power' would be received in public.
If anything, tonight proved that Lorde will perform the hell out of whatever you give her on stage. For one, the set design was absolutely stunning – an omnipresent sun in the background, a stairway to heaven resting atop a glowing orb, everything lit in gorgeous gradients. No matter where Lorde stood, she was in prime position for photography. The band members also played dual roles as instrumentalists and dancers, positioned at odd, artistic angles. It ensured they had some spotlight without fully drawing attention away from Lorde.
Lorde wouldn’t let that happen anyways – her charisma and choreography were on form tonight as she charmed her way through song after song. It’s especially impressive that 'Solar Power', a much quieter, meeker record, sounded vibrant and jubilant in the Roundhouse. Certain tracks that flailed in the album – ‘Secrets From A Girl (Who’s Seen It All)’ springs immediately to mind – shone in a live setting, as Lorde’s powerful voice and dancing charged the song with much-needed energy.
We also got some fun Lorde TED Talks – one particularly enlightening speech was about the nature of bangers. After all, June 3rd marks the nine year anniversary of ‘Royals’, the song that changed her life from New Zealand schoolgirl to international superstar. Lorde hinted at an album full of such bangers, predicting that even though the pandemic triggered a generation of quiet albums, ‘the banger will always be on the horizon.’ To follow this with an impromptu cover of 'Run Away With Me' really establishes the kind of whimsy that Lorde was feeling tonight.
In fact, she really must have been in a good mood, because she treated fans to a performance of ‘Writer In The Dark’, audience participation included. Videos of the Melodrama Tour five years ago resurfaced on TikTok of Lorde shushing the audience during this particular song. It led to the usual accusations of ‘flop era’ and ‘she really thought she did something’, but tonight proved that none of that mattered at all. Although Lorde had to sacrifice ‘Liability’, hearing 3,500 people wail "I am my mother's child" was an unexpectedly special moment. Hilariously, they also shushed in the silent parts of the song. I’m glad Lorde had the sense to bring it back, even if it was just for tonight – it’s always nice when artists can laugh at themselves.
Lorde is a fantastic performer, who dances so fluidly and sings so well that she makes it look enviously easy. She’s unpretentious on stage, simply having fun as much as she can. As beautiful as the set design was, Lorde was most thrilling when she just connected with the audience and jumped around to bangers like ‘Supercut’, or ‘Perfect Places’. Witnessing ‘Solar Power’ live was especially thrilling – yellow confetti burst at the drop, and it was a joyous accompaniment to the song. For tonight’s performance, she ended with ‘A World Alone’, the closer to Pure Heroine and a song she hadn’t performed in over five years. It made the Roundhouse shows feel uniquely special, which isn’t always the easiest thing to do (especially given she has an upcoming Ally Pally date later this month).
Lorde is a refreshing artist to witness on stage; someone who is able to keep pace with the audience, bring interesting performances and set design, and an A-class entertainer. But ultimately, what made the night was Lorde’s ability to empathise and connect with the audience, to make us feel welcomed and loved – and that is the mark of a true performer.
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Words: Alex Rigotti
Photography: Rachel Lipsitz
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