Naming your latest gigs the Dysfunctional Tour is something of a gamble for an artist, leaving an open goal for jokes if the show falls flat. For Anne-Marie though, the UK arena shows behind her 2021 album Therapy are all about vulnerability and achieving catharsis through naked honesty, no matter the potential consequences. At Wembley Arena on Wednesday night, the singer delivered her drivetime radio hits with precision, but also forged a deeper connection than many of her commercial peers.
Therapy, an album of high-profile collaborations and personal growth, recounts Anne-Marie’s journey from self-hatred and doubt to acceptance, and the live show followed the same narrative. In the first of its three sections, she and her excellent troupe of dancers were dressed in black as she sang of regret, heartbreak and infidelity. “This song makes me really angry,” she said before Tell Your Girlfriend, proceeding to mock-kick a dancer posing as an unfaithful ex around the stage.
Between acts one and two, a message was then scribbled on the big screens.
“Confronting all my issues has transformed my life,” it concluded, before Anne-Marie and her dancers returned, this time all in white and pink, to sing Therapy’s title track. On the delicate song, she realised that, after years of hoping love was the ultimate answer, “maybe I just need therapy.” It was a sentiment that went beyond the pop platitudes of some of her tracks towards something important and real.
This was an arena pop show though, and the stern, solemn vibes never stuck around for too long. For every body-positive mantra (Beautiful) and piece of mental wellbeing advocacy, Anne-Marie was clever enough to know that nights like these are meant to be fun too, and the show’s tone never got too downbeat. “This is the first love song I ever wrote…” she said before Breathing, before letting out her trademark cackle: “EUGH!!! Makes me feel a bit sick!” Nothing here was too important to not have a little chuckle about, she assured the crowd.
Elsewhere, early hit 2002 was shamelessly mined for nostalgia gold while KSI joined the party for Don’t Play. During Friends, a song addressing a long-time friend trying to make romantic advances, the subject was met with a message on the big screen: “Warning! You’ve been friendzoned!”
Thanking the behind-the-scenes crew before the show’s conclusion, Anne-Marie said: “For anyone who saw my last show, you’ll know how much bigger this is,” and it was rewarding to see one of today’s most ubiquitous radio pop stars given the lavish, elaborate live show she has deserved for a good while. Team that with a progressive message well ahead of others in her lane and this was an experience far from dysfunctional.
