Lorde LIVE @ O2 Academy, Brixton 06.06.14

Despite being only 17, Lorde has already won a Grammy, had a platinum-selling album in the US, Australia and New Zealand and topped the UK charts with her single ‘Royals’. It’s safe to say that the New-Zealand born Ella Yellich-O’Connor is a star in the making, and on her third UK show to date this couldn’t be clearer.

Lorde Performs At Brixton AcademyLorde opens the sold-out show in a black blazer, trousers and white shirt with a beautiful rendition of the silky smooth ‘Glory And Gore’. Instantly she captures the crowd and the minimalist black curtain backdrop exacerbates just how compelling and impressive her voice is. The curtain falls revealing her two backing musicians, brightly lit golden frames and a sparkling, ornate chandelier and she launches into a track from her ‘The Love Club’ EP, ‘Biting Down’. Following this, she plays every song from her album as well as another track from her ‘The Love Club’ EP, ‘Bravado’ and her recently released collaboration with New York artist Son Lux, ‘Easy’. She has little interaction with the crowd until she announces a cover of The Replacements’ ‘Swinging Party’, telling the audience: “This song is not my own but I really like it”.

Lorde is known for her dark, gothic style and has built this into her on-stage persona, with her hair flailing and her jerky dance moves following the beat of her drums; it’s impressive that at just 17 she’s pretty much perfected her on-stage presence. However, before her poignant song ‘Ribs’ she shows that she still has some natural vulnerability. Here she takes some time to connect with the audience, telling them of numerous fans she’s met, shows she’d played and tales of her life in the suburbs as a teen, saying: “Being grown up is something that I’ve been running from for a very long time”. It’s a sincere moment that gives us an insight into this talented, young woman and feeds well into the coming-of-age track that expresses her feelings (with lyrics “My mum and dad let me stay home it drives you crazy getting old”). It’s followed up with her biggest hit ‘Royals’ with its bouncing beat and her second hit ‘Team’, during which black and white confetti with a line drawn image of the star catapults across the audience. Lorde slips off stage to change into a stunning gold cape dress before ending the show with a powerful rendition of her track ‘A World Alone’.

The sell-out show highlights just how far this New Zealand teen has come and just how much she has to show the world. She’s a class act and has the presence of an artist who’s been doing these shows for years. Relatable, quirky and very likeable – Lorde really is a fantastic talent.

Corrine Corrodus

Corrine Corrodus

Hi, i'm Corrine. I'm 16 and from London. My hobbies include blogging (chaoticcorrine.blogspot.com), spending all my money on vinyl and clothes, gig-going and avidly procrastinating. I would love to be a journalist, but my main wish is for The Smiths and Oasis to reform.