When I realized I couldn't go to Beabadoobee's concert at the Novo, I came up with an idea. What if I sent the biggest Bea fan I knew, Neil, the 16 year old son of my best friends? So, I asked Neil to write the following review. And you know what? That was a fucking great idea. I'll do it again.
- Vincent Walter Jacob
Beabadoobee in concert in Los Angeles. Photo by Fanny Hulard.
Following the release of her latest project “Beatopia”, I was absolutely dying to see Beabadoobee perform her angelically hypnotizing songs live in action. Her charming attitude and appearance, along with her soft yet clearly skilled vocals had entranced me back in 2019. I had watched the music video for her single “If You Want to” and was obsessed to say the absolute least.
Bea has created such an authentic, rare, and persistent aesthetic for herself which has only evolved since she released her first, and most popular single “Coffee” in 2017. She has mastered the art of building personal connections with her fans, including me, by being so authentically herself and creating music that perfectly pairs with her aesthetic and online persona. Ever since then, I have been following along with everything she has posted and released. She had some of the first songs to go viral on TikTok, some being “Coffee” and “Tired”.
Whether she realizes it or not, Bea has paved the way for many different aesthetics and styles you see in teenagers today. As well as creating a path to success for singers with softer, lighter voices. She has really set herself a sturdy place in the industry with her established rock, yet nostalgic sound in music, and her edgy, yet cute and feminine style in clothing.
When she announced her 4th album “Beatopia” back in March of this year, I was thrilled. Once it was finally released this summer in July, the first I did after getting off an 11 hour flight, was listen to the project the day it was released... My infatuation with her music grew even bigger after hearing the record. It’s packed with sentimental rock, electric sounds, and catchy, nostalgic acoustic guitar. “Beatopia” really feels like a trip to the 2000’s in an oddly modern and fresh way. Songs like “Beatopia Cultsong”, “Fairy song”, and “Tinkerbell is overrated"(ft. PinkPantheress) have these bubbly, mesmerizing sounds that you don’t hear very often in music these days. They almost make your brain tickle. Others like “10:36”, “Talk”, and “Don’t get the deal” carry such nostalgic, catchy, rock energy that just makes you want to explode. And then some of my favorites being “See you Soon”, and “Lovesong” have this expanding, ballad like sound that makes you want to run away with your earbuds in. Another fan favorite “The perfect pair” went viral on TikTok due to it’s fun, light, 2000’s sound paired with Bea’s perfect runs and high pitched, soft voice.
Before seeing her live, I had seen multiple videos of her show on TikTok. Some consisting of her telling the audience to “get the fuck down” so they could all jump on the beat drop in this hilarious, comedic tone. And some of her smiling at fans whilst performing. My obsession with her just kept growing, and so did the number of people buying tickets to her shows.
When I showed up to the venue, the opening band “Lowertown” was performing, which I was super excited for. A couple of days before the show I had looked them up on Spotify after seeing that they were opening for Bea, only to realize I had a couple of their songs added to my playlists.
Lowertown in concert in Los Angeles. Photo by Fanny Hulard.
Once the lights turned off and the “Beatopia” cover banner was unraveled, the crowd went absolutely insane. It was enlightening to be in a room full of people who felt the same way I did towards Bea. This girl next to me even complimented my hair and outfit, everyone was so friendly. Bea, and her band came on stage and I was in disbelief. I couldn’t believe I was seeing her in real life, about to perform these songs that are so dear to my heart. She ran onto the stage, picked up her electric guitar, and started off by performing “10:36” which I feel is a perfect beginning to the set. Everyone was jumping and screaming the lyrics.
Her stage presence is like no other. She could just lay down on the stage for and hour and a half and the crowd would still go crazy. The drums, the bass, and the guitar were so loud I could feel in rattling through my body. Yet, her voice did not get lost in the instruments and track whatsoever.
I lost storage on my phone in the middle of the show and was frantically deleting apps so I could capture this magical moment forever. Throughout the set, she moved around quite a bit, giving a thrill to each side of the crowd. Almost everyone including me, seemed to know every lyric to every song on the setlist, revealing how close we feel to Bea. She interacted with the audience just enough to make us feel closer to her, yet keep the mysterious energy going.
They way I was jumping almost the entire time, along with everyone else felt so natural and freeing. To hear some of my favorite songs of all time live, with others who admire her just as much as I do helped me feel welcome.
Leaving the show, I felt so content and inspired, still in disbelief that I got to see Bea in real life and hear her angelic voice live. With Beabadoobee opening for Taylor Swift next year, fans are expressing how proud they are. I’ve seen a lot of “She will no longer be our little secret” on Twitter, which feels super bittersweet to me as well. Bea is only evolving and growing as an artist, and I can’t wait to see how her sound and style will develop going further.
- Neil Gitlis
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