Live Review: Elohim - Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver - 14/05/2018

Elohim put on an incredible show of graphics and lights at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver as she opened up for electrogaze group, The Glitch Mob, on their tour. Despite my music tastes being very much centred in the pop and pop punk genres, I have noticed Elohim(pronounced E·lo·him) popping up more and more in playlists and on social media. Her debut single ‘Xanax’ dropped in 2015, and right from the get go this producer and artist has been nearly impossible to pin down, both in music stylings from track to track and her identity. Going by the alias that means ‘God’ in Hebrew, she has used everything from masks to text-to-speech software to hide her identity from the world. In interviews she has said that having this name and doing these things help her to feel more free and empowered in her art and her discussions of anxiety and depression which are prevalent in her lyrics.

At this show I think it’s safe to say a third to half of the ticket sales were due to Elohim’s presence, because as soon as she stepped on stage the room exploded in cheers. She kept her appearance masked with a trench coat with the hood over her eyes and face. Playing hits like ‘Love is Alive’ (with Louis The Child) and ‘Sleepy Eyes’ (from her recently released self-titled album), she still kept up the mystery by using two LED panels on either side of herself to create visuals that drew the eye away from her silhouette.

Not once in the show did we hear her actual voice, instead she used pre-recorded text-to-speech software to interact with the crowd and hype everyone up, while also providing genuinely lovely encouragements to make sure everyone in the room felt important and needed. Using this before her hit ‘Xanax’ to ask everyone “Do you have anxiety” the entire room lit up, with everyone clearly being familiar and in love with the 2015 tune. Eventually taking off her hood and the coat entirely, but keeping on her dark sunglasses, Elohim was clearly having the time of her life and drawing energy from the crowd. With a massive smile on her face she spent so much of the set dancing around and switching between her two set ups during songs.

Closing out her so-great-it-could’ve-been-the-main-act set with ‘Panic Attacks’ (with Yoshi Flower) and ‘F**k Your Money’ the entire venue (including myself) went absolutely bonkers, just losing themselves in the moment and the music. Her stage presence, while still keeping her identity hidden, is so open and accepting of everyone in the room that it’s hard not just get lost in the moment and have the time of your life. This is how it should be, and it’s often at electropop/chillwave shows that I’m reminded of this.

Elohim is a multi-talented artist as well as an absolute ball of energy and she tackles some of the hardest, but most necessary, topics. Her lyrics openly discuss her issues with mental health and medication in such a fun, danceable way that I don’t think I’ve seen anywhere except maybe in Paramore’s new album… And in a time where it’s easy to find out everything you could ever need to know about an artist, it’s a breath of fresh air to find someone who you don’t need to know their entire existence to be able to connect and feel like you’re being opened up to through their lyrics.

Words by

Kelli Anne Lane