“There’s no better public weeping spot than a Lorde show,” the Kiwi artist born Ella Yelich-O’Connor told the crowd at Alexandra Palace last night. She had just finished an impassioned rant on the Roe v Wade ruling in the US, which means abortion will no longer be protected as a federal right in the country. “I’ve been feeling a little fragile and a little fucked up,” the singer said. “It’s weighing heavy on me.”
At the her last show at Ally Pally in 2017, Lorde conducted a hedonistic house party in support of the euphoric, thunderous pop of second album Melodrama. Since then, she’s released a third album, 2021’s Solar Power, which saw her slowing down, swapping synths and fame for acoustic guitars and throwing her phone in the sea. On the current tour behind the album, the intensity of the Melodrama shows is designed to give way to a calmer, more reflective spectacle.
In light of the news coming out of the US Supreme Court though, the intended takeaways from the tour were replaced at this show by catharsis through the release of anger. On Melodrama tracks Hard Feelings and Writer in the Dark, she let tears flow and found comfort through intense music and communal support from a wildly dedicated crowd. “I need this, Ally Pally,” she affirmed at multiple points during the show.
Moments of Solar Power’s quiet beauty did manage to shine through, though. Early on, she was joined by support act Marlon Williams to perform a stunning rendition of Mata Kohore, the MÄori language version of Solar Power single Stoned at the Nail Salon, while the gorgeous Oceanic Feeling closed the main set in a glistening haze as she instructed fans to “breathe out and tune in.”
The show’s outstanding stage setup was also distinctly Solar Power-flavoured, seeing Lorde flanked by a troupe of identically dressed musicians in mustard suits, recalling David Byrne’s lauded American Utopia live show. In the outro of Secrets from a Girl (Who’s Seen It All), Lorde’s silhouette took in a costume change behind the stage’s spherical centrepiece while a voiceover from fellow pop powerhouse Robyn narrated the song’s closing section, posing as an announcer for the fictional Strange Airlines, telling passengers where to pick up their “emotional baggage”.
It was a majestic, theatrical show to witness, but despite its intentions at large, there was no escaping the energy in the room; the gig wasn’t one of contentment but of anger and release, emotions Lorde has always been a master at conjuring. “What this palace wants is release,” she sang on closing track Team, and the visceral reaction to the thunderous chorus that followed made sure her wish was granted.
