A Real Life Fairy - Alice Phoebe Lou Live Review

Last Christmas, I got my sister tickets to see Alice Phoebe Lou, knowing she loved her. I'd never heard a song that wasn't a cover by Alice, but joined my sister with zero expectations. We had incredible seats for a really decent price at The Roundhouse which is one of the prettiest venues here in London, so it really was an immediate win.

I do always think its best to go to gigs when you know lyric for lyric, purely because it's usually more fun. You are able to interact on a completely different level with the artist and night, and that was certainly missing on my end for Alice Phoebe Lou. What I will say though is that immediately, it's obvious what a real life fairy she is. She looks, dances and sings like she belongs as one with the trees, and thats definitely the initial vibe she gives off in her covers, viral videos on youtube and first impressions online. But truly - its like watching an earth fairy come to life.

There is no doubt, nor ability TO doubt that Alice is incredibly talented and has a beautiful voice. However, as someone who didn't know her music, I felt like many of them sounded the same. This became even weirder for me when I listened to them after on Spotify and found them more distinguishable. So, whilst I wasn't jamming with the same style of sound on repeat, I took the chance to sit with her lyrics and focus on them, which I'm glad I did.

Image by Erifili Gounari

Alice has a way with words that is poet-like, with an ability to talk about specific scenarios in a way that isn't cringe or cliche, but raw and ethereal, like herself. To the point where I found myself loving the lyrics more than the songs themselves which may seem obvious as an avid reader, but usually it's a mix of both I love.

I think there is more power than she realises in her performing by herself. Her band is extremely talented, but during her solo set, the singular acoustics brought out her voice and sound so much better. It allowed emphasis on the songs in a way that, as a band, isn't coming through. Things like that can be down to acoustics, but The Roundhouse is known for it's incredible acoustics, so I'm uncertain of it's affect.

If you haven't, I highly recommend seeing Alice Phoebe Lou live - but there's something to say for seeing her at a closed gig versus a festival on the grass in summer, in which I think her music is so beautifully suited to in comparison. P.S. Stream Open My Door ;)