It was a warm and quiet Saturday night in the middle of London when the Norwegian indie-prince Boy Pablo took the stage at St John-at-Hackney Church together with his ensemble of talented friends and family. After too many long months without any shows and the postponement of his UK tour that was initially planned for April this year, it was instantly clear that the fun bunch had come with the mission of enjoying every second they would be spending in front of their happy-faced crowd – a sort of energy that swept over everyone and filled up the elegant venue within seconds.
Preceded by the stellar Brighton-based newcomer-band FUR, a group of young, hip indie-lovers who might as well could have just stepped straight out of an episode of the “That ’70s Show”, it didn’t take much to raise the temperature in the imposing church, with the animated concert-goers excitedly falling into a continuous jump to the beats of the first song of the night, the dreamy ‘I Hope She Loves Me Back’. With smiles all over their faces and a sense of thrill that only comes from having to wait for a milestone to happen for way too long, the eager four-piece band effortlessly lead the crowd through the night, always moving between slower tracks like ‘te vas // don’t go’ and ‘I ❤ U’ and absolute fan-favourites ‘Feeling Lonely’ and ‘Everytime’.
But the night would have not been this special, had it not been for the dynamic between each band member and the crowd. An atmosphere that exists rather organically if everyone in your band is either a long-time friend or even your older brother and manager, as in the case of drummer Esteban Muñoz. It is that familiarity and intimacy that gave Boy Pablo’s show of the night its unique and special feeling, not forgetting about performance surprises like a spontaneous swap of guitars between the main act and its support and a friendly dance-off between the Norwegian and British indie-lads.
From the very first tune being played up to the last bright-eyed fan leaving the venue, Boy Pablo’s visit to the UK’s capital was sure to be one for the books and definitely worth the prolonged wait. We are already counting down the hours for the Chilean–Norwegian indie-pop genius to step on British land again.
Written by Laura Weingrill
GEM Magazine 