Photos by Aleiagh Hynds
By Jimena Cieza, Staff Writer
Artist: Laufey
Venue: The Wilbur
When: Sunday, October 29th
Loafers and cardigans fill up the Wilbur. Anticipation cannot only be felt, but seen in the two columns that crowd the stairs in order to get to the merch table. Through the small path that formed in the middle, and after stepping on a couple of beautiful strangers, the doors of the mezzanine are finally within reach. Once inside, the warm lighting, as well as the intimacy of the venue, set up the perfect mood for a night to remember.
A JOYRIDE
At 8 p.m. sharp, a wave of sound overtakes every inch of the venue. A stripped-down version of “Somewhere over the rainbow” is responsible for this. The vocals are clean, and even if far away from the stage, the guitar chords seem incredibly close. The rendition goes to higher notes than the original, yet it works as the perfect introduction for the following song: “Adelaide.” “Adelaide” is part of the recently released EP: FRUITLAND by… who exactly?
A yell bounces from wall to wall: “Say your name man!” The singer cannot help but laugh: he forgot to introduce himself. Without hesitation he replies “I’m Adam Melchor.”
Then, Melchor decides to take advantage of the fact that the Wilbur is usually a venue comedians do their shows at by using anecdotes as a way to preface his songs. From a tree falling on his ex’s car after 3 days of breaking up with him, to his parents being annoyed at the police finding their stolen car, Melchor sure has a knack for the stage. Still, he shines the most when it's only him with his guitar, and after the joyride that is his set comes to a close, he wraps it up perfectly with “Real Estate.”
IN THE STREETS OF “STREET BY STREET”
9 p.m. arrives, and every seat that was previously empty gets filled. Similarly, on the stage, each band member begins to claim their respective instruments. Only the cello, and the piano remain unattended, yet the audience knows who they belong to. The drummer begins building anticipation, and is followed by other band members as well. Papapapapapa… and, with a little jump, Laufey enters the stage. The crowd lets out a scream so loud, it can only be stopped by Laufey herself. Without saying a word, a bossa nova sound we know all too well, starts playing.
“Fragile” is the ideal opener, which is then followed by “Valentine.” With it, Laufey brings the warmth of February 14th to October 29th. However, these are only songs from her debut album Everything I Know About Love, which is why the following song belongs to her second, as well as, newest album: Bewitched.
For the introduction of her second album, she ironically opts for “Second best.” A melancholy tone is set, only to be immediately interrupted with the beginning of “Dreamer.” For this track, Laufey gives a lively performance and pulls out her witch hat to take advantage of the fact that her concert takes place during Halloweekend. After a mixture of different songs, the singer moves towards her cello for “I Wish You Love,” and then turns to the piano for “Promise.” Her voice is clear and steady; so harmonious it’s like a dessert for the ears.
Laufey, in Adam Melchor’s fashion, explains a couple of stories behind her songs, too. Here, we get to learn about her encounters with beautiful Londoners in public transport, and the fact that she tried mumbling “California and me,” before restarting the whole song again.
In a blink of an eye, the concert comes to an end, but not before Laufey can reveal the song she picked specially for Boston. Some may be aware that she is a Berklee graduate, and her first released song, “Street by Street,” is set in these very streets. “Street by street” tells the story of the first time she got rejected, and how she thought the boy responsible for this ruined Boston for her. However, now being back here, she can only feel love and appreciation. “Thank you Boston!” she yells before exiting, and all we can say back is: thank you, Laufey.
