My second show as a temporary NYC transplant was at intimate Brooklyn venue Music Hall of Williamsburg for a headline show from up-and-comer Arlo Parks. The UK artist was embarking on her first tour of the USA in support of her beautiful 2021 album Collapsed in Sunbeams. The night felt like it would be a special one, and that feeling was soon rewarded with a beautiful set in what was just her second show in America.
The show started kicked off with NYC Pop/R&B group MICHELLE. While they’re really a 6-piece outfit, it’s hard not to get lost in the charming stage presence and the fun and good vibes the singers generate to think of them as more of a four-vocalist group. Each vocalist brings something to the table, which helps see MICHELLE as having four lead singers. There were no frills to their set; no elaborate light show or fancy outfits. They were all about the good vibes and they looked like they were genuinely enjoying themselves on stage.
Some of the best musical moments included the delightful Pop vibes on “Sunrise” and my personal favorite, the New Wave feel on set-closer “The Bottom.” On the latter, the bassline was laid on nice and thick and the dance-able production had this place bumping.
I have to give a big shout out to vocalist Sofia D’Angelo, who stood out the most in my eyes. She had this unequivocal swagger and charm to her was dope. And if you don’t believe me, I wish you could’ve seen when bandmate Jamee Lockard did the get the dirt off her shoulder move when D’Angelo was particularly in her zone.
The art direction for the Collapsed In Sunbeams Tour poster influenced the set production with mic stands and pedalboards lined with sunflowers, and plants adorning the stage. The setlist was almost entirely comprised of Arlo Parks’ beautiful studio debut album.
Like I mentioned before, from the excitement brewing for Arlo Parks’ first headline tour of North America to MICHELLE brilliantly warming up the crowd, it really did always feel like this was set to be a beautiful evening together. Arlo herself felt it just two songs, saying “I have a feeling this will be the best show I’ve payed. The energy!” after finishing “Green Eyes.”
And it only went up from there, even when the tempo slowed things down. The intimate setting helped turn everything into a communal experience and allowed fans to indulge in every feeling that came to them. We got to rid ourselves of negative energy with “Just Go” and “Romantic Garbage,” and rocked out harder and harder each time Arlo got hype for epic guitar solos for tracks like “Portra 400” and “Sophie.”
Though the whole show was a beautiful experience, there were some moments from that Arlo Parks New York City concert that stood out above the rest. When Arlo demanded to see “the best moves from you lot” for her song (and my personal favorite) “Too good,” we all responded with vibing and dancing the entire time. “Caroline,” “Eugene,” and “Black dog” had the crowd singing along like it we all got together to do karaoke, with some fans up front singing the song passionately that it caught Parks’ attention. We were even treated to poetry break that also revolved around “Collapsed in Sunbeams.”
For as much as the fans were enjoying the concert, you could tell that Arlo herself was having the most fun. At one point she stopped and said “I just thought I’m actually in NYC doing a show. It just hit.” The wait for an encore performance of “Hope” didn’t last very long, but it was just enough for the British artist and her band to celebrate amongst each other one more time. Before performing the song, Arlo said “We were back there freaking out. This is literally the best show we ever played.”
We were part of the lucky few that got to witness that firsthand.
Photo Credit: Oscar Oliva Jr / Pursuit Of Dopeness
