VIDEO: Lorde - "Tennis Court" Live at Le Poisson Rouge
Music blogs have been buzzing about Lorde for quite some time now. The 16-year-old indie pop mastermind dropped her debut EP, The Love Club, in January of this year and you'd be damned to find someone who wasn't hooked by the time they had finished listening to "Royals." Fast-foward to August, Lorde (aka Ella Yelich-O'Connor) is now a chart-topper in her home country of New Zealand and she's ready for worldwide domination.
Signed to Universal Republic in the US, Lorde made her first-ever trip (!!!) to the United States for a couple of special appearances--Le Poisson Rouge in New York on August 6 and LA's Echoplex on August 8. As we've previously seen with acts like Lana Del Rey, having the ability to translate your sound to a live stage is essential to building the career of up-and-coming artists. As it rolled around to 9 PM and the band took the stage, the entire crowd at LPR this evening was all wondering the same thing--would Lorde deliver the goods & live up to the hype?
After a stunning, 50-minute, 11-song set, I can only answer that question with a wholehearted, resounding "yes."
The energy in the room was electric as soon as Lorde took the stage, kicking off with the fitting "Bravado" off her debut EP. "I want the applause the approval the things that make me go oh" Lorde crooned as the crowd went wild. Under the gloss and production of her studio tracks, Lorde truly is a talented vocalist who can one-hundred percent hold her own. She sounded just like the record. One of the night's highlights was Lorde's performance of "Tennis Court," the New Zealand follow-up to "Royals." With a lion's mane for her hair, the 16-year-old prowled around the stage as she breezed through the grimy track and the audience sang to every word.
The energy in the room was electric as soon as Lorde took the stage, kicking off with the fitting "Bravado" off her debut EP. "I want the applause the approval the things that make me go oh" Lorde crooned as the crowd went wild. Under the gloss and production of her studio tracks, Lorde truly is a talented vocalist who can one-hundred percent hold her own. She sounded just like the record. One of the night's highlights was Lorde's performance of "Tennis Court," the New Zealand follow-up to "Royals." With a lion's mane for her hair, the 16-year-old prowled around the stage as she breezed through the grimy track and the audience sang to every word.
For those doubting the singer's ability to craft a track that measures up with monster singles like "Royals" or "Tennis Court," brace yourselves. Because if the live versions are any indication, we are all in for a real treat when we get Lorde's debut album next month. Of the new tracks, "Still Sane" and "Ribs" were instant favorites. In "Still Sane," Lorde sings of dealing with her newfound and rapidly growing fame. With a hook in which the singer beckons "I'm little but I'm coming for the title," we get a special snapshot of the singer on her catastrophic rise to fame. "Ribs" is a bit of a sonic departure for the singer, as the track features a pulsing dance beat underneath Lorde's vocals. The crowd erupted as the singer delivered the top-notch chorus with such conviction, singing lyrics like "I've never felt more alone. I feel so scared of getting old."
While this was Lorde's big debut in the US, whatever nerves the singer had felt before taking the stage soon disappeared after a warm reception from a sold-out crowd. Specials moments with the intimate crowd were a dime a dozen, such as the singer's reaction to the audience cheering after the "Tennis Court" lyric "pretty soon I'll be getting on my first plane." Written just months ago, the singer's words had become a reality days before on her first trip overseas. Her banter was friendly and often funny--particularly when the singer announced "I can smell it" after an audience member decided to smoke some marijuana during the singer's set. While she will surely grow with more practice, Lorde's stage presence and crowd banter was nothing short of impressive, considering the singer's age and lack of prior performance.
As soon as the "Royals" backbeat began to play, the entire audience knew what was coming next. "This one's for everyone who still takes the train" Lorde proclaimed before starting her performance of the soon-to-be worldwide smash. That's what makes Lorde so appealing--she's young, she's unique, and she's an underdog. But tonight's show just confirmed what the majority of the music industry was already thinking: Lorde is here to stay.
New track: "A World Alone"
New track: "Ribs"
Set List:
Bravado / Biting Down / Tennis Court / Buzzcut Season / Still Sane / Ribs / The Love Club / Royals / White Teeth Teens / 400 Lux / A World Alone
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You can call her queen B
