Is this what prom looks like? On the first London date of Olivia Rodrigo’s sold-out tour, British audiences are invited to partake in the all-American tradition. There are bleachers on stage. Silver streamers cascade down the walls. A disco ball hangs from the ceiling. It’s an appropriately adorned set for an artist who has made “edgy prom queen” her image. Tonight, Rodrigo makes her transportive Noughties pop-punk dream real.
It is astonishing that Rodrigo can lay claim to such a recognisable image – if only due to the sheer briefness of her career. In just 12 months, the 19-year-old has broken Spotify records, released one of 2021’s best albums with Sour and had three singles reach the top five in the UK. Last month, she delivered an indelible Glastonbury highlight when she stood side-by-side with Lily Allen to say “f*** you” to the Supreme Court judges who overturned Roe v Wade. The political statement seemed natural to Rodrigo, whose music is outspoken by nature: a knuckleball of rage or despair. Most of the time, both.
