Alice Phoebe Lou in Brooklyn.
Written and shot by Eva Lynch
July 26th, 2023
Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
Dianna Lopez
We were welcomed to the show by the sweet sounds of Dianna Lopez, a native New York artist who joined Alice Phoebe Lous for her two New York shows. The self-described bedroom-born artist is a new voice who plays with experimental and ambient R&B, soulful and twangy folk, featured in songs like ‘Road Runner,’ which Dianna has built up from eclectic and ethereal soundscapes that give the music a deeply personal feel. She keeps it paired down and what she calls D.I.Y., leaning to the raw sounds of its production, and brought a soothing and unearthly voice to her live performance, which never faltered which filled the room with warm and familiar feelings.
Her lyricism incorporates vulnerability and honesty, and has been deeply influenced by 60s and 70s psychedelic rock. On stage, she spoke about how her songwriting often centers around themes of spirituality and love, Alice Phoebe Lou even dedicating her hit song “Witches” to Dianna later on in the evening, and Dianna joked about how three of her songs in a row had all started with her singing about the moon. Dianna and her band played several songs off her latest EP 12th House which she said was really propelled by the idea of not settling for anything when it comes to love, whether platonic or otherwise. Beyond both artists centering and writing about love, Dianna’s voice itself had echoes of Alice Phoebe Lou, and her performance made it clear why Alice fell in love with her style and message, and why these two were such a great pair for a show at Brooklyn Steel.
Alice Phoebe Lou
Alice Phoebe Lou walked out onstage in her sock-clad feet, absolutely giddy and ready to sing her heart out for an almost two-hour long set, which brought together every different sound and era of her music across her past five albums. Each song brought vocal riffs that never seemed to end and were simply charged with authenticity, through their performance, lyrics, and Alice herself who spent every moment she wasn’t singing to spout her gratitude and ground herself in the moment.
The show brought together energetic highs; with songs such as “Lose My Head” or “Dirty
Mouth” to end the night which had everyone jumping up and down and couples getting lost in each other, they were so consumed by dancing; and vulnerable stripped back songs such as “My Girl” which she joked she felt comfortable enough to do on stage because at this point the audience was ‘practically family’ as they embraced her vulnerability and excitement at every step of the evening. Despite having started writing the song almost a decade earlier, she shared that she is always nervous to play the original version of the song which is more like a lullaby for fear of messing it up.
This took place during a mid-set acoustic break where Alice Phoebe Lou played several songs alone on stage, lit by a single spotlight, which was one of the most personal and touching moments of the show where she was able to really connect with the audience and share not only the songs but what led to their creation. For the performance of what she calls her brother-sister songs, “Halo” and “Shine”, which were written at a time she was feeling ‘super lost and weird’ and is now able to reflect back on and feel more at ease with who she is when she plays them.
Her latest album, Shelter, which was released on July 7th, is the most true to herself yet. The soft rock, psychedelic indie singer has taken a more somber and deliberate turn in her songwriting, delving into the struggles of navigating love and coming into her own. She manages to keep her soft and uplifted sound while dealing with difficult growth, and writes about actively choosing to seek moments of openness and happiness or vulnerability despite the risks, balancing immense joy and sorrow to create something comforting and soothing, which gave several songs, such as “Angel,” a vintage and dream-like feel. While at the show she says her favourite song to perform is constantly changing, she doesn't think she’s ever written or sung such true words, as on ”Hammer,” and is emblematic of the genuineness of this latest album. She took her time between songs to tell anecdotes and share with the audience, building on the kinship or connection everyone felt when they walked into the room that night; whether it be how her and the band had tried to go to the beach in Jersey the day before only to find out it cost 9$ but even then it was worth it for the half hour they got to spend on the sand; or introduce her songs by saying how, for instance, this album really helped be a reminder for herself that we ‘need more excuses to fall in love with ourselves and the world,’ although in the end, it’s just ‘another song about love like all the rest’ of her songs.
The Berlin-based South African singer didn't seem to want the night to ever end. She said she never fails to have a good time in New York and it’s always a show celebrating something and this feels like a real celebration for the album which came out earlier this month and her 30th birthday which passed only a week later, going on say the night just flew by and it was one of the best shows she’s ever played. She joked that she’ll see us next year, because she always seems to find herself back in New York, and on behalf of the whole crowd: we can’t wait.
