On Wednesday 10th June, Grammy award winning ‘Lola Young’ cemented her return to live performance with a night of live music nothing short of a testament to her unapologetically vulnerable and sensual lyricism, resounding with the sold-out Manchester crowd to ultimately create an electric atmosphere with support from the amazing ‘Annabelle Dinda’.
In short, Manchester knows how to show up for Young’s intoxicating transparency, and in return? Young truly knows how to show out for a sold-out crowd. Known for ‘Messy’, she’s no one hit wonder, with multiple more than successful releases, from the playful ‘One Thing’ to the muted ‘SPIDERS’, her everchanging tone and musical focus always finds a way to resonate. The choice, then, of Annabelle Dinda in supporting this tour was an obvious one.
Offering potency particularly in her song-writing ability, Annabelle Dinda’s popularity is largely attributed to social media’s discovery of her single ‘The Hand’. Relentless, catchy, and cutting despite her gentle delivery, Dinda shone on stage with her evident passion and her present, yet not overwhelming, stage presence. With her delivery and performance remaining consistent with her music’s interior meaning, Dinda was truly a delight to experience live. Yet, this performance’s call to captivation would be incomplete without her incredible on-stage support in her talented collaborators. Consisting of Andres Valbuena on drums, bassist Anna Young, and guitarist Maya Polsky, they were a truly wonderful collective whose musical connection was beautiful to bear sensory witness to. With ‘Whatever You Wanna’ getting everyone on their feet, Annabelle Dinda and her ‘boys’ were a well selected precursor to headlining act Lola Young.
After a brief intermission, Lola Young took to the 02 Apollo stage, immediately commanding attention from everyone in the room. Just one woman, she speaks to many, with her commitment to clarity in everything she produces forging an intimate relationship with her listeners, that has not only cultivated a cult following, but also the want to listen to her beyond her lilting lyricisms. Reflective of this unique relationship to both music-making and the sharing and marketing of such, Young’s live performance featured a section on the importance of speaking to yourself with kindness that extended beyond just the context of a pre-performance ritual. Dubbed the ‘Manchester Mantra’, Lola dedicated her night of live music to remembering your power, your electricity and ultimately the strength of yourself, giving her enchanted audience an insight to the mindset behind her music’s success. Affirming that those who want to listen will lean in, Lola Young was Manchester’s teacher, entertainer and friend for the night, leaving everyone besotted and swept up in her brilliance. With emphasis on the delight found in her ‘d£aler’ and the eponymous ‘From Down Here’, Lola Young truly transformed the 02 Apollo with her magnetic performance.
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