Live Review: Carly Rae Jepsen - Somerset House, London 11/07/2022
With her middle name a homonym for sunshine, Carly Rae Jepsen was always likely to deliver in a heatwave. Her Somerset House set proved no exception.
The Canadian brought all her anthems, sparking unbridled joy in the thousands who braved the hot Neoclassical courtyard – even if much of the heat was killed off by the building’s long shadow.
The night began with an enjoyable DJ set by Bullion (real name Nathan Jenkins), which added to the summer vibes, aiding contemplation and soft grooving as the crowd settled in on a Monday evening.
“Alright, London, are you ready to party?” So said a booming voice at nine o’clock, signaling the start of a relentless hour. Carly’s opener ‘No Drug Like Me’ saw the pop star emerge black clad centre stage, and that ran straight into ‘E•MO•TION’, setting the tone for what was to come.
Roughly half the show came from 2015 hit album ‘E•MO•TION’, as next displayed when Carly twirled in the twilight during ‘Run Away With Me’. She was trying to encourage loud voices from the crowd - like we couldn’t already be heard from the other side of the River Thames.
The other half consisted of her most recent full-length, 2019’s ‘Dedicated’, including ‘Now That I Found You’ and ‘Julien’, the latter of which she explained was a name she fell in love with at the age of 19, and finally found room for in a song title a decade and a half later.
Most artists would have a preamble into a song Billboard deemed ‘the biggest chorus of the 21st century’. Carly just ran headfirst into ‘Call Me Maybe’. It’s tough to highlight something new in a recognisable banger a decade after it topped the charts, but tonight the line “hot night, wind was blowin’” stood out in a magical way. She joined the crowd down the front, disappearing for those behind. It made sense – ‘Call Me Maybe’ belongs to us all, Carly just unleashed it.
That ‘Kiss’ classic was one of only three tracks not from ‘E•MO•TION’ or ‘Dedicated’. It was followed by another, ‘Western Wind’, her most recent single from May, keeping the intensity at a high level. On her final night of this European tour, it offered a hint of more to come.
Next was a run of ‘Dedicated’ tracks – when Carly asked “is this too much?”, the only possible response was “no way”. It may not have even been enough. ‘Everything He Needs’ might have felt more muted than the prior passionate madness, but it was still a funky slice of disco pop.
“Who here has any boy problems?” the 36-year-old asked of her fans. The Carly cult were quick to acknowledge their own personal strife related to men. ‘Boy Problems’ was not a big single in 2015, but it speaks to her core fanbase – very female, very gay – and they sang every word at full voice.
‘I Really Like You’ was another anthem without introduction, prompting the audience to pogo. Carly’s five-piece band were on fire throughout, but this track brought the drums to the fore, speeding behind the track, and adding more love to the song as it played out in the beautiful setting.
The encore was ‘When I Needed You’ and ‘Cut To The Feeling’. The latter was used in forgotten 2016 film ‘Ballerina’, which features Carly as a voice actor. Despite humble beginnings, it is a huge and fitting closer, to the film and the show. It is probably the best song of the night - with the wealth of powerhouse pop on display, that’s no mean feat.
And then it was over - the spirit of a full arena tour condensed into a solitary hour, stacked with good musicianship and stupendously strong songs. There are valid calls for more, but it felt complete. It’s tough to know what could have been added successfully. When you stick classic songs one after another, there’s nothing better. I wouldn’t have believed that something so relentless could also bring a feel-good feeling, but Carly did it, and made it seem straightforward.
Carly is a full-on pop star with my heart, and she’s damn cool; in this heat, it’s all you need.
Words by Samuel Draper
Photography credit - Richard Thompson / Somerset House
