Lou Doillon at Queen Elizabeth Hall

The ever-so-cool actress, model and singer-songwriter Lou Doillon performed her London debut this week to an eager and adoring audience. 

The French singer and her band where extremely relaxed as they opened, setting the tone for a casual, upbeat performance. Doillon’s voice was low and sultry and had the crowd completely seduced within minutes. The lovely acoustics of the Queen Elizabeth Hall heightened the strength of her husky voice and had the audience feeling completely enveloped in it. 

It is not surprising that Doillon is so confident and cool, considering her parents are famous French director Jacques Doillon and British actress/singer Jane Birkin. What is surprising is her unassuming demeanor and casual charm as a performer. Her anecdotal descriptions of each of her songs had the audience giggling and wanting to hear more. She joked that they had to play covers because otherwise the set wouldn’t be long enough, considering she only has the one album, Places. Yet Doillon’s unique voice made the covers sound as though they were completely her own. 

Perhaps the reason Doillon is so self-deprecating is due to the fact that she would have never produced her album without the encouragement from her mother’s friend, and her producer, Etienne Daho. We can only hope that she will be encouraged to write even more brilliant music thanks to her success with this album and its singles: I.C.U, Defiant and Devil or Angel.

The mood of Doillon’s set shifted fluidly from upbeat and energetic to low and intense throughout the entire performance, completely absorbing the audience and perfectly matching the beautiful way in which her voice breaks and changes throughout the songs. 

Doillon’s performance seemed both relaxed and exciting at the same time. She was fun and serious, casual yet dramatic, and most importantly, highly enjoyable to watch. Judging by this performance, we will be hearing a lot more of her in the (hopefully) not too distant future. 

Alice Fitzgerald

For further information and future events visit Lou Doillon’s website here. 

Watch the video for Devil or Angel here: