Live Review: Arlo Parks - Eventim Apollo, London 28/09/2023
The sold-out show was a mellow, soulful display of Arlo Parks’ poetic brilliance.
The venue was bursting at the seams with eager eyed fans of the West London poet, and it was refreshing to see the wide demographic of Parks’ audience - teenagers with their parents, students, twenty-somethings, and some older faces mixed in.
Parks appeared on stage just after 21:00, and the crowd were besotted. The screams and whoops of the crowd were then drowned out by “Bruiseless” - the first track on My Soft Machine (2023). After her difficult decision to cancel tour dates earlier on the year, it was touching to hear and see her finally be able to showcase her incredible latest album. Parks then sang “Weightless”, followed by “Blades”, and the crowd’s wonder and excitement was palpable.
Parks introduced herself, humble and warm, and told us pieces of her background and origin. She beamed about her name being illuminated in bright lights upon the Eventim Apollo venue, and, as she hails from Hammersmith, said that it was a dream materialised. Then, as to not let the energy drop after the first three songs, Parks performed a crowd-favourite - “Caroline” (2021). The audience sang it word for word and it wetted their appetite for classic Arlo Parksmaterial. She then sang “Impurities” (2023) followed by “I’m Sorry” (2023) - upbeat tracks which had the crowd transfixed. Seamlessly, Park’s then performed “Eugene” (2021) - her most popular and listened to track so far.
The night then entered its second phase, with Parks seemingly satisfied (the crowd definitely so) with playing a large chunk of her latest album, we were then treated to a scattering of tracks from Collapsed In Sunbeams (2021). Park’s illuminated beautiful, warm visuals to accompany the tracks “Hurt”, “Too Good” & “Black Dog” and the gig felt like she had been playing sell-out shows for years - it was effortless, and beautiful to watch. The crowd were not talking or rowdy, but intently watching Parks and softly singing along.
For the final part of the show, Parks sang a fusion of tracks from her ever-growing discography - “Purple Phase” and “Devotion” from her latest album appeared to be particular favourites. The stage dimmed down some, and the atmosphere felt more fervent - the end of the show was near and the crowd wasn’t ready to say goodbye to their residential poet.
Parks kept the encore short and sweet with her 2022 single “Softly” - a popular and tender choice. The crowd let loose - not afraid to ruin the allure of the poetic show but instead belt out the ballad before the curtain closed.
Words by Meg Budgen
Photography by Abigail Shii
