Dodie at Roundhouse
The Roundhouse is a great venue for the intimacy and proximity that Dodie’s sound requires. It’s a quiet sound that blends stripped acoustic with orchestral glimpses, and her lyrics are equal parts vulnerable and witty. The artist, who first found a fanbase on YouTube, has returned to the venue for her latest tour, following the release of the new EP Not For Lack of Trying, a record that carries the disarming honesty that has defined her work from the very beginning.
It’s a sold-out gig, with an eager and packed audience. After silencing the room with a snippet of Arms Unfolding, Dodie appears on stage for Hot Mess, excitable and squealing. It’s the perfect choice to kick off the set, with the crowd immediately matching her infectious energy. She moves through the setlist with few breaks, offering brief glimpses into her enthusiasm, and punctuating each song with some of her signature quirkiness. At times, it’s hard to hear the delicate vocals over the impressive instrumentals, but when Cool Girl starts, the strength of her voice shines through. The whole venue seems captivated, silent, swaying, waiting until the very end to applaud.
Next, she lightens the mood with Smart Girl, delivering a playful performance, skipping about the stage, messing with the piano, and leaning once more into the cute quirkiness she’s so well known for. After moving through more of the set, she talks candidly about the new album and the “brain hell” that inspired it. It’s a very personal introduction, a moment between artist and audience that feels very honest and soul-bearing. She then performs the title track, and the crowd settles again into enraptured silence. With this emotional turn, Dodie continues with some of her most well-known and heartfelt pieces, raw and unadorned. It’s this part that the artist does best, returning to what she’s always done with these intimate numbers.
With each ballad, she opens up, laughing with fans, making jokes. Before ending the set with tracks like Monster, that really liven things up, she sings happy birthday to her brother in the audience, another tender gesture that keeps the atmosphere warm and friendly.
With one final burst of energy to conclude the night, the encore ends with Darling, Angel, Baby and Greta Isaac joins Dodie on stage to sing it in its full glory. It’s an upbeat final note to a show that lingered long after the lights came up.
Daisy Grace Greetham
Photos: Mike Garnell
For further information and future events, visit Dodie’s website here.
Watch the video for I’M FINE here:
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