LIVE REVIEW: LAUREN DAIGLE @ ASTOR THEATRE
I’ve been a fan of Lauren Daigle for a while now, so when I heard she was coming to Perth I was more than happy to attend her concert for her Look Up Child world tour. I sure wasn’t expecting what I got.
The night opened with support from Daniel Shaw, a talented musician from Melbourne with a nostalgic pop sound that was reminiscent of Passenger. It was followed by a short introduction to the organisation ChildFund International, an organisation that helps children in poverty around the world (check them out here) as well as assuring us that they hadn’t forgotten about Australia—they were also going to send support to the eastern states that are still battling the devastating bushfires.
After an intermission that felt like forever, the nine-piece accompaniment opened with an orchestral theme that sounded like it was straight out of a movie—then switched gears almost immediately by launching into ‘Still Rolling Stones,’ a gutsy and powerful anthem.
From the start of the set, the entire band pulled no punches; from the heavenly three-part harmony vocal blending, to the crazy trombone solos and the smooth funk bass supporting from the lower register, the musicality of the band was just tight. And I haven’t even talked about Lauren Daigle yet!
Following the first song was ‘Look Up Child,’ the title song of her Grammy award winning album. From the beat to her Adele-like vocals, the first segment of the set was high-energy and punchy, finishing off with a groovy cover of ‘Sir Duke’ by Stevie Wonder and a very, very mind-blowing solo from one of the backup vocals.
The second segment started and the atmosphere in the theatre shifted to a softer, melancholic mood with the beginning of ‘This Girl,’ followed by ‘Rescue,’ which was always a personal favourite of mine—but hearing it live with its raw, emotional message really changed it for me. She also played ‘How Can it Be’ but with an upbeat twist which really caught me off-guard, but I can’t say I disliked it. If anything, it assured me that the artist in front of me wasn’t afraid to experiment and move out of her comfort zone (as if she hadn’t already been doing that from the start, anyway).
‘Don’t Dream It’s Over’ came next, before a stripped acoustic version of ‘Rebel Heart’ that was much more poignant and ardent than I remembered it being. Perhaps the bit I loved the most about the night was when she took the time to teach us a little bit of her new song (even if she “sang the wrong melody but [she] liked it”) before performing it for us.
Then, with the song that started it all, she sang her Grammy award-winning single ‘You Say’ to a crowd that sang it back—the connection between artist and audience was truly tangible in that moment.
She ended off the set with ‘Tremble,’ another unreleased song that really showcased her band’s talents and chemistry. Of course, there’s no way we’d let her leave without an encore, which she happily did for us with a rendition of ‘Move on Up’ by Curtis Mayfield and finishing with a soulful ‘Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.’
The night as a whole? Consistent.
The musicality of the band wasn’t fancy (except for the trombone. You have my heart, Mr Trombone Player), but was just a stage on which Lauren Daigle’s voice and heart stood—from her gritty belting to her raspy falsetto and the complimenting backing vocals (I really couldn’t get enough of them), and the unforeseen twists in all the songs she performed, Lauren Daigle delivered an unforgettable night.
