By Annisa Hale
With the stunning Victorian-esque interior and booming acoustics of The Paramount, Alice Phoebe Lou brought familiar energy with her opening song “Open My Door” for her October 10th open show for Clairo in Seattle, Washington. Lou started with ecstatic but nervous energy, ready to showcase her ranging vocals to a younger-than-normal audience.
The Paramount Theatre stripped all its seats on the bottom floor, opening room for people to spread out and dance (though only a few were brave enough to step out and groove). Lou introduced herself as a South African artist living in Berlin. As people started trickling in, her nerves dissolved and she eased into harmony with the rest of her band playing a wide range of songs from her discography.
Her melodic, powerful, and adaptable voice caused the audience to mellow out and to listen attentively. After her third song “Glow”, the audience roared in applause and settled down to listen to the next. She played comfortably on stage, full of joy, silliness, and content.
In many of Lou’’s shows, she tends to get compliments and this time it was about her t-shirt. She gazed at the audience with a big smile and said “Thanks, I just thrifted it an hour ago down the street”. In previous shows, she’s received many “compliments” about her physical appearance, to which she slyly replies with sass or a good “f**k you”. She’s always so honest in her shows and I think that’s one thing that adds to her stage presence. I also recall one time when she was playing at the Crocodile in Seattle and someone continually shouted “Are you lesbian?” so aggressively loud that you could feel the audience almost shiver in embarrassment.
The band was bathed in orange, blue, and yellow lights. She was playing with her usual bandmates: Ras, Matt Roth, Dak, and David Perry. One thing I adore about this band is that they always seem like they exist in their little bubble. It’s as if they are back at home, playing in their living room and jamming out with each other. They are always smiling and grooving to their tunes while performing.
This performance was Lou’s first time playing at The Paramount as well as her first time opening for Clairo. People were adorned with their Clairo swag and many were unfamiliar with Lou. Though they swayed to her tunes, there was a lot of chatter about Clairo’s newest album, which embodies lofi sounds and lyrical indie pop. The sincerity and earnestness of Clairo’s music seems to invite a much younger crowd.
Yet, there were people who were all too familiar with Lou, screaming “I love you” across the room. Compared to her other concerts as the main artist, Lou’s stage presence was vulnerable, hopeful, and once she settled in overall relaxed. As a main performer (and also dependent on the venue location), she is often sensual, confident, and eager to showcase the realities of where she is at as an artist, and as a human. In contrast, her opening performance, though relaxed, felt like she was performing as a new artist to a new crowd.
She played from albums “Shelter”, “Glow”, “Child’s Play”, and “Underworld”. She mentioned that for each opening show, she was trying to have a different tracklist so that her music didn’t feel stagnant. I found this interesting because it’s been a long time since I’ve heard her play from the album “Underworld”. What I adore about her concerts is that she wants to play her newest music in order to stay true to her present self rather than the “old” Alice. Many artists feel the need to retract and play older songs but not her. Similar to her music, she is adaptable and ever-changing. It is soft, vulnerable, and introspective and outlines her journey with herself and her relationships.
Her newest album, “Shelter”, embodies her lo-fi vocals with lusher and groovier sounds. She only played three songs from this album: “Open My Door”, “Angel”, and “Dirty Mouth”. She often moves from indie soul to indie jazz and blues, all through seamlessly tender moments.
She finished with her upbeat, indie rock single “Witches” and you could tell that she left a lasting impression.
*Annisa Hale has seen Alice Phoebe Lou perform six times.
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