BØRNS Brings Style and Smooth Moves to Boston

- By Owen Murray -

BØRNS showcased his smooth voice, sleek sound, and touch for the dramatic at the BØRNS show at the House of Blues on Sunday night.

BØRNS made a smooth and stylish entrance, opening on an elevated podium crooning "God Rest Our Young Blood," the opener to his latest album. The electronic percussion that accompanied the vocals and effects-heavy guitar and bass added to the dreamy atmosphere.

His stage presence was similar to a relaxed version of Prince. His music played in the background before the show started.

BØRNS' emphasis was not on flashy musicianship, but on a clean pop-centric sound.

BØRNS' songs are practically made to be belted along to. Every fan in the crowd was singing along to every word with a beaming smile.

He performed his songs almost exactly as they sound on the album with very little in the way of embellishment. This meant there were few surprises by allowing the entire room to sing along confidently.

A major surprise of the night was opening act Charlotte Cardin returning to the stage during the encore to perform a duet cover of the Beatles "Strawberry Fields Forever." This song was adapted slightly to fit BØRNS' synth heavy sound, but the psychedelic tune didn't require much re-imagination. The chemistry between the two vocalists was striking and the performance was one of the most memorable of the night.

BØRNS defies stereotypes.

The band of five was predominantly female, with the lead guitarist and BØRNS himself being the only male members.

BØRNS doesn't bring a stereotypical rock band along with him. He doesn't present himself as a typical male rock star. He embraces femininity openly in his mannerisms, flashy style of dress, and vocal inflection. Occasionally, his voice doesn't sound much different from the voices of his female background singers.

BØRNS opened with breathy vocals. Although, they were not all he had to display. His strikingly high voice has real power behind it. He's not afraid to belt high notes when the time comes.

BØRNS' enthusiastic and devoted fans kept the show moving.

As soon as BØRNS made their entrance an excited fan shouted "sing it you sexy beast!" People in the front row reached for the stage in excitement whenever he stepped towards the edge and screamed when he reached out his hand to meet them.

At one point someone threw a crown of flowers onto the stage. BØRNS wore it proudly for a song before draping it over his mic stand for the rest of the show.

A fan in the front row was able to stretch far enough to be able to hand Borns a pencil-drawn portrait of the singer who thanked the fan for the gift and showed it to the whole audience.

After a climactic finish, Borns fans left happy.

BØRNS saved his biggest hits for the encore. Fans screamed in excitement at the start of every song. They sang even louder than they had been throughout the entire show.

BØRNS picked up a guitar for the first time throughout the entire show for the closer "Electric Love," the band's biggest hit and an obvious fan favorite.

The happy atmosphere BØRNS created during the show carried on afterwards as hundreds of smiling fans emptied out onto Landsdown Street.