Lucy Dacus played an almost sold out Olympia Theatre on the 25th of April. The show had been upgraded twice and more recently reschedule due to COVID, so it was great that it could finally happen in such a beautiful room. Support on the night came from Derry based artist SOAK.
SOAK was fantastic on the night playing a lovely a set with only their Fender Acoustasonic. Their set started at an upbeat pace with songs such as ‘Last July’ and ‘Purgatory’ before getting slower and slightly sadder as the set went on. A great guitar tone mixed with fantastic vocals made for a wonderful opening act that I look forward to catching again in the future.
Virginia native Lucy Dacus took the stage to a great applause on the last night of her Home Video tour. The show opened strong with ‘Triple Dog Dare’ which starts off quite slow and quiet before exploding into a symphony of guitars, with the band rocking out towards the end of the song. The band was made up of Jacob on guitar, Ricardo on drums, Sarah on keys and Dominic on bass. ‘First Time’ was next up which kept the upbeat pace from the end of the last song and ran with it. Next up was fan favourite ‘Addictions’ from Lucy’s critically acclaimed second album Historian, followed by ‘Hot And Heavy’, a song about returning to where you grew up and being hit with an abundance of heavy memories. Things slowed down with ‘Christine’ a gorgeous ballad which really showcased Lucy’s soothing vocals. ‘VBS’ featured a lot of really enjoyable instrumental parts, for which the band seemed to have an absolute blast performing. One of the most adored songs on Home Video, ‘Brando’, a catchy track about a lousy high school had the whole crowd singing and dancing. Lucy had fans completely captivated with the lyrical gut punch ‘Thumbs Again’ a track where she revisits a memory from college, when she accompanied a friend to a bar to see their estranged father. She “admitted after she sang it that she “still blacks out every time she performs it”.
The highlight of the set for me was “Please Stay” which featured the use of minimal instruments so Lucy’s pristine vocals and charming storytelling were the main focus. The track is a heart breaking but at the same time, incredibly beautiful ballad on which Lucy is trying to convince a suicidal friend that their life is worth living. It was definitely the heaviest song on the set but it was also the most moving. I think everyone in the room shed a tear or two during that one !
Lucy lifted the mood and got fans dancing again with the fast paced tracks ‘I Don’t Wanna Be Funny Anymore’ from her debut album no burden, and her latest single ‘Kissing Lessons’.
Up next was another highlight for me ‘Night Shift’ a track which in true Lucy Dacus style starts off quietly but gradually builds and ends in an abundance of sound. This track is Lucy’s biggest hit and fans screamed every lyric with great passion from beginning to end.
The set finished with lots of dancing with Lucy doing a fantastic cover of ‘Dancing In The Dark’ by Bruce Springsteen. Definitely an act to catch when she is in your city!
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