It was a wet October night in London, but the queue outside the O2 Brixton had enough buzz that it didn’t need the sun. Gracing the stage to perform tracks from the DESIRE tour’s title album, Ambiguous Desire, as well as the ones her OG fans remember and adore, Arlo Parks delivered an iconic night at her first UK tour stop.
BAIRD opened the night with their cool psychedelic indie hits, setting the audience up perfectly for their indie icon. We got to hear some of their best and newest tracks, like Dogpile, as well as an unreleased surprise. Without spoiling it, we can tell you it’s great.
And then there she was. The iconic red buzzcut illuminated by the stage lights, Parks mixing directly on stage, the opening notes of ‘Heaven’. For the first of the DESIRE shows on the UK leg of her tour, fans were not disappointed. Throughout the show, we got to hear all the iconic tracks we’ve been looking since the album: ‘Blue Disco,’ ‘Jetta,’ and ‘Get Go’ to name a few.
Beyond looking really cool herself, the show’s visuals elevated the vibes even further. The lighting strip running behind Parks added ambience to her tracks, along with background projections of nature bringing us to life with it. In the spirit of being natural, the singer shared some heartfelt dedications, like ‘Senses’ to those who know and love her, and what she called one of her most important songs, ‘Black Dog,’ stripping back the visuals and swapping bright fill lights for a single spotlight and keyboard. We felt all the emotions tonight.
Closing with the iconic ‘Get Go,’ Parks offered her crowd one last danceable track and was met with a huge roaring cheer. It was one for the books.
