Dodie
The YouTube sensation Dodie Clark has made impressive strides in her music career. She has amassed a legion of dedicated fans, sold-out shows in the UK and the US. Known for her LGBT+ positivity and openness surrounding mental health, she strikes an impressionable cord. She packed out the UEA LCR in support of her latest EP, Human.
Fellow YouTube songstress Orla Gartland opened the night, her presence breathing an uplifting air into the room. Plucky upbeat instrumentation and a distinctive vocal tone commanded everyone’s attention, launching in with the funk-laden melody “Between My Teeth”. Many sang along to the wondrously existential “Why Am I Like This?” evoking moving empathy, whilst “Flatline” previewed exciting future material. She perfectly stoked up the room for the night ahead.
Next-up, indie-folk jokers “Kawala”. The duo were complete jokers, cracking banter with the fans. Their mid-tempo jams are comparable to the likes of Saint Raymond, fizzling with timbering drums and danceable guitars evoking the warmth of rousing sunshine.
The emerging to a wall of cheers, dodie opened with the delicate “Arms Unfolding”. She quickly pumped up the energy with the quirky-bop “Monster”, skipping around the stage in glee to its’ thudding beat.
Dodie championed the art of utilizing individual minimal live elements, to create an impactful and bold live show on the whole. She flaunted hypnotically hushed vocals, shivering spines particularly during the spellbinding “Human” and the whimsical “If I’m Being Honest”.
Discussing her experience crushing on a friend and dealing with her sexuality, “She” resulted in climactic hard-hitting emotion. Fans raised pride flags and rainbow lights, expressing their identifying with the situation. It illustrated the powerful affect live-music has on human emotions and uniting communities. Her spellbinding voice swam with empathy and care.
“Would You Be So Kind?” and “In The Middle” closed the gig on a high, the sugary melodies injecting irresistible euphoria. To top it all off, dodie and her band bowed and exited the stage bathed in rainbow lights blasting “Call Me Maybe” over the speakers. Honestly, is there any better way to leave a gig?
The impactful minimalist elements and stupendous vocal performances from dodie concocted an intoxicatingly emotive live show, that hit fans right in the heart. Her sheer talented is not to be understated, and she is sure grow in the future.
