I had the pleasure to see Lydia May on the last day of The Lifesaver Tour at The Cavendish Arms in London.
When speaking to the artist backstage, May shared that the Lydia May persona also gave her the confidence to explore her queerness and femininity and helped her find ways to love herself. It's a wonderful way to learn how to feel comfortable in oneself.
Lydia May's The Lifesaver Tour came from the singer's desire to nurture the inclusionary space she never had, “a space for fans to feel loved and wanted“ but also “to give young women a space to perform.“ Seeing her fans' outfits and hearts on their cheeks to match her when she gets on stage is “such an affirming “ said May. “It's a lifesaver“ is how Lydia defined it.
As soon as I walked into the venue, it was clear I was about to see not just a concert but a performance. The circus-like vibe of the decoration matched Lydia's persona perfectly. Starting the show with “Social Cues“ it is clear Lydia is happier on stage, and that happiness is contagious. It's a pleasure to see her perform and interact with her fans, who noticeably feel so comfortable and included in this space.
Resembling Chappell Roan in her theatricals – which funny enough she covered later in the night – Lydia reminds us all that being an artist is so much more than singing. The work and effort put into her entire performance is so refreshing and rare to see nowadays.
I just recently watched Casablanca which made me reminisce about the music days, when every restaurant and bar had live entertainment and people would stop talking just to hear it (or maybe that just happens in movies, I can't say). Lydia gave me that feeling with her cover of “Funny Girl“, with her big hat and fur coat, I felt like I was in the early 1930s at a bar seeing this new artist sing.
In a way to be “transparent“ with the audience, Lydia took us to her room. Surrounded by her guitars and her bedroom carpet, she sang "Miracle", the first and only song she ever performed for her grandfather, which felt like such a heartfelt intimate conversation with a loved one.
One of my personal highlights of the night was "The Right", as Lydia described it, a song about feeling like “you no longer deserve a sit at your friends' table“. The piano-based instrumental gave it a coming-of-age movie-like feel, which is fitting for the feeling the song describes. During this, her fans raised hearts that had “you will always have a seat at our table“ written on it, which elevated the moment even more. The show ended on a high note with "Another", which had the crowd singing and dancing along.
Lydia was clearly made for the stage, from her performance to her insane vocals. Thinking about her performance at our very own sapphic showcase, she knows very well who she is and where she wants to take the Lydia May persona. I'm excited to see her grow and become even more over-the-top theatrical in the future.
WORDS BEA GOMES
PHOTOS ANA PINTO
Comments