beabadoobee performs at 9:30 Club on Oct. 26, 2022. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)
Kicking off a recent show at 9:30 Club, beabadoobee transported the full house back to the ’90s, filling the club with grungy guitars and lilting vocals with “10:36,” a selection from her new album Beatopia.
On Oct. 26, beabadoobee, born Beatrice Kristi Laus, mostly split the second night of her 9:30 Club debut between her two full-length albums, 2020’s Fake It Flowers and this summer’s Beatopia. The Beatopia Tour, her first significant introduction to US live audiences has proven an undeniable success, and it clearly has turned the Filipino-British sensation into a touring machine.
Although she’s only 22, beabadoobee performs like a seasoned pro, saying more with her eyes than many singers do with their entire bodies. In addition to the flashback ’90s guitars, beabadoobee wrote “10:36” with flashback lyrics as well, lonely for companionship but not wanting to fall in love despite her needs.
Watch the official live video for “10:36” by beabadoobee on YouTube:
Toward the middle of the set, Beatopia’s “The Perfect Pair” stuck thematically to this ethos of “I don’t want to be in love,” and the narrator unconvincingly argued that she will end up with a broken heart. (I say “unconvincingly” because the song resigns itself to the relationship.) Melodically, “The Perfect Pair” was an interesting song with calypso vibes and a sweet, intimate tone.
beabadoobee closed the main set with “Talk” from the new album, and the shimmery guitar-heavy track was a crowd-pleaser. beabadoobee again sang of being resistant to love, but “Talk” is more of a proper love song, as much as we can get from her anyway, and it’s rather a happy song regardless of its concept of “this might be a bad idea.”
Well, clearly it’s a good idea to catch beabadoobee as the polished guitar slinger has a magnetic presence and a strong ear for great riffs. She’s taking America by storm over the next month, and all signs suggest that she’ll be around plenty next year as well!
Here are some photos of beabadoobee performing at 9:30 Club on Oct. 26, 2022, for the second of two sold-out nights! Photos copyright Parklife DC.
