Hopefully by now (if you haven’t been under a rock this past year) you’ve heard something about 17 year old, two-time Grammy Award winning, New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde. Raised in Devonport, Auckland, she performed in various singing and drama classes as a child, and at the age of 13 signed with Universal. THIRTEEN!!! I don’t remember what I was doing at the age of 13, but it certainly wasn’t writing hit songs and getting a record deal, but I digress.
Lorde hit Austin, Texas on March 3, 2014 as her FIRST STOP on her FIRST U.S. TOUR, which made it a pretty special night for everyone there. This sold-out show was packed to the brim at Austin Music Hall. Opening for Lorde was Los Angeles based singer-songwriter Lo-Fang, aka Matthew Hemerlein. Much like Lorde, Lo-Fang sings all the vocals and plays all the instruments on his recordings. Bringing in a few musicians for the live show, Lo-Fang delivered ornate, rhythmic electronica you can get lost in. It was a wonderful start to the evening.
Waiting for Lorde to take the stage, I took in the ambiance around me. LOTS of twentysomethings, people in their late 30s (like me), and kids, which I thought was really cool. I mean, she is 17. Didn’t you want to see your peers/idols when you were that age? I know I did, and seeing these younger girls that were probably 10 to 12 years old sing along to every word, dressed up like her with their hair crimped, was just an awesome sight to see.
Seeing that Lorde only has one album and an EP, the show was on the shorter side, but you wouldn’t have known it by the energy and excitement being thrown around the room. She started the show with “Glory and Gore” and the crowd went wild. Lorde throws herself into her performance, almost like she’s possessed, really getting into it and moving to the syncopated beats. I love that about her. The set continued with even more energy as she sang through, “Biting Down,” “White Teeth Teens,” and “Tennis Court.” Lorde didn’t banter too much in between songs, but after “400 Lux” she gave her take on Texas BBQ, “It’s kind of disgusting. But it’s delicious.” After that, the stage was hit with yellow lights and fog complementing a buildup remix of her big hit “Royals.” We barely had time to process it all before she launched into “Team.” Halfway through the song, she left the stage only to come back in a gold lamé wizard robe of sorts, as an explosion of confetti rained down on us all. She closed the show out with “A World Alone.” As we were herded out like cattle exiting the building, a chorus of “ELLA! ELLA!”, Lorde’s real name, was building.
I know she is a 17 year old girl, but never has someone so young moved me with their music & lyrics. I think David Bowie may have stated it best by saying Lorde’s work was like “listening to tomorrow.” She was magical to see in concert. I only hope I can see her do it again sometime.
Lorde’s music is a stylish mix of arty, confessional bedroom pop with tinges of electro-rock that works for the customer looking for an eclectic soundtrack for their business.
– Submitted by Mandi LeBlanc, Music Design