Canadian singer-songwriter Lights completely lit up The Garage on her London tour, delivering a sold-out show that was nothing short of unforgettable. Fusing explosive dance beats with raw emotional vulnerability, she creates a sound and stage presence that few artists can pull off so effortlessly. Writing this review and capturing the night was an opportunity I immediately jumped at and could not miss as a fan – and it did not disappoint!
Come And Get Your Girl tour London stop provided us with a good mix of songs from album A6 and older more known hits. Lights described it as being the album where “you are looking back at the older versions of yourself… like bad haircuts”. The magic of Lights music that drew me in at some point last year was the upbeat take she puts on her otherwise quiet serious lyrics that takes you on a journey of love, heartbreak and accepting who you are. It truly is music that you can use to sing and dance to as a way of letting go of your feelings. Made even more special live as she encourages everyone in the audience to interact not only with her but each other.
It was very clear that Lights recognised some of the fans in the audience whether it be from the VIP session they had before or from previous performances, pointing directly at the keychain she had attached to her trousers as she spotted someone in the audience whilst singing one of her songs. This connection is what truly makes going to see someone play live special, they become human rather than just a persona that exists on your screen. And what a special moment lights shared with us during ‘Take It Easy’ by throwing paper planes in to the audience.
Its also not just about the connection with the artist but with each other too. We are all there because we connected in one way or another to the music she makes and that is exactly what unites us. So when Lights spoke about making music that is about real emotion rather than just the next big hit, she also commented about what unites us all that made everyone giggle a little.
“We are all so f***”
And with that she introduces one of her songs from 2013, “Cactus in the Valley”. Having a chat with the audience about whether we have cactuses in the UK, engaging about a tattoo someone has, and describing the song as “little prickly, and little juicy”, made the performance feel personal. And even more special as the audience carried this more slow, quiet and intimate song.
As Lights did not have a support act we got to see a lot more of her than you would normally do with a headliner. But it did mean she get to tease us of an early finish by having a little bit of a pep talk with us to remind everyone to take the side quest because “the side quest can sometimes become the main quest” before announcing that they were going to sing their final song that really wasn’t the final song.
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