Canada’s Lauren Ash (you may know her as Dina from Superstore) took to the 3rd room of Birmingham’s o2 Academy on 11 March and did a damn good job of filling that room. It was a refreshingly female-heavy audience which made for an electric atmosphere. It was also refreshing to see so many members of the crowd repping Lauren’s tee before she even mentioned that it was available (and limited edition due to under-ordering as the Canadian didn’t realise how in demand merch is to us Brits).
The set for the evening was over an hour long and full of entertainment, including original music, covers and her natural story telling capabilities. Lauren is a natural born performer and completely multi-faceted; when she tells the story of how she’s wanted to be on stage since she was 12 years old, you fully believe her.
She drops in a few classic pop punk covers in a nostalgia medley including songs like Lit’s ‘Own Worst Enemy’ and ‘I’m Just a Girl’ by No Doubt, alongside ‘All I Want’ by The Offspring – all of which go down a storm with this Brummy bunch. ‘Whiplash’ and ‘Diet Coke & Lexapro’ are easily the loudest songs of the evening, evoking a scream from everyone in the room and provoking phones to go in the air so it can be recorded. The encore is where her new single ‘F.A.F.O’ is introduced, and it’s welcomed with open arms.
Ash put on a high energy performance from start to finish and made it look easy – she barely broke a sweat. If the rest of the tour goes down as well as this date, then her debut UK tour is a massive success where no one is left unsatisfied.
Support for the evening came from Manc four-piece Stay Safe who warmed the crowd up nicely.