Wow. How do I even begin to explain how phenomenal this gig was? I summed it up on twitter as "the closest to a religious experience I think I will ever feel" and that seems pretty close. I had been looking forward to this gig for such a long time and as we approached the O2 Academy I turned to my friend and exclaimed that I hadn't been this excited for a gig in years. YEARS. I wasn't sure if it was because I had never seen them before or if I had such high hopes from loving their music so much or if it was because I'd had a couple of cocktails. Whatever it was, I was positively vibrating as I entered the venue.
The opening support, Colouring, were excellent. A brilliant mashup of so many artists I had heard before but with the refreshment of something completely their own. Just when I thought I knew the vibe of a song, or where it was going I was pleasantly surprised by a sudden change in tempo and energy. There truly is no better feeling than leaving a gig liking the support act and discovering new songs.
As we waited for LANY to arrive on stage, we remarked on what a good venue the O2 Academy is for seeing bands up close and personal. As we were chatting about how tiny of a venue it is compared to even the small ones in London my head whipped around as the distinct crackle of Dumb Stuff began to play. It was time.
Dumb Stuff is my second favourite song off the self titled LANY album and a perfect choice for opener. It may only be 2 minutes and 32 seconds long but I listened to it on repeat for about two days solid. The memories I have attached to it fill me with warmth; I can almost feel the sun and breeze of driving through Slovenia as I backpacked around Europe with two of my closest friends this summer.
What really has stayed with me since the gig is how emotional frontman and lead singer Paul Klein was during the set. There was a moment in Hericane where he was bent into the piano and microphone like he was trying to disappear into it and I suddenly felt all this anger and hurt towards Hericane that I had not connected to before. Similarly, during Made in Hollywood (which is one of my all time favourites) Paul was up close to the audience, his arms wide, extending moments of the song out with such passion and energy that completely captivated me.
It Was Love is my favourite song from the self titled album and possibly my favourite song of all time so I can't write up this post without mentioning how incredible it was live. I adore the song exactly how it is and yet how LANY chose to perform it made me realise perfection can be improved on. It Was Love live sounded like a rock song and if I only had one wish it would be to have a live recorded version of it.
As a special treat, LANY explained how they had been drinking in the pub across the road when some fans approached them and asked if they would play Bad, Bad, Bad a song that rarely gets played live now they have an entire album to choose from. They performed a very small, beautiful piano snippet before launching into a cover of Sign of the times by Harry Styles which was truly goose bump inducing.
When LANY returned for the encore, I was hit was such a wave of nostalgia before it even ended. I knew that they would finish with ILYSB and I enjoyed every single second while crying my eyes out.
I miss LANY already and will be front and centre the next time they fly across the pond to the UK.
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