Live Review: Lovejoy - O2 Victoria Warehouse, Manchester 22/09/2023
Right in the middle of their latest tour, British indie act Lovejoy brought their unique take of the frequently labeled “soft boy indie” to the north-west city for one of their biggest shows to date. Supporting their latest EP Wake Up & It’s Over, their success caused them to upgrade to a larger Manchester venue and still fill it up with adoring fans of all ages. This is a story of how Wilbur Soot broke the sound barrier with the help of his followers’ cheers and screams.
Warming up the crowd for the night are Toronto-based indie outfit Good Kid. A little-known group within the UK, they have found their best breakthrough slot with this support position as the audience were going as crazy as they would their main idols of the night. There was chanting, dancing, jumping, and for the few who were familiar with the band’s repertoire, noticeably loud and excited recital of the tracks word for word. With some of their most notable tracks being performed such as ‘Alchemist’ and ‘Mimi’s Delivery Service’, along with the promise of a free promo card for everyone in attendance that night, there was no doubt they grew their own fan base that night. There is a hidden magic within Lovejoy, and thankfully, Good Kid are embracing the sparks flying their way.
There is never a crowd more ready for a gig to begin than a Lovejoy crowd. A mix of fans who were introduced to the band through the music alone, and those who were familiar with frontman Wilbur Soot from his ongoing career as a YouTube streamer; they were brought together as one big happy family once the band took to the stage. The lights dimmed, the displays flashed, and Soot kicked off the night with his bandmates in tow.
Soot stepped out first to begin the night with his solo track, ‘Your Sister Was Right’ and no one missed a beat while singing it back word for word. The sounds echoing alongside the microphone assisted frontman, the power was strong and the admiration was felt within the air. The band sets in with the next song ‘Perfume’, and this is where Lovejoy bring their all to the Victoria Warehouse.
Upon this night, the band were praising their adoring following for taking the time to make it out to the show, cheering and singing and screeching along, and overall making the experience as memorable for them as they are making it for the fans. This is a band who work to make their gratitude known, especially within the perspective of Soot himself, who owes his whole career success to the people standing before him. The ones who would watch his streams, comment and message alongside his internet-famous gameplays, and built an entire community out of it. The music is just a bonus to these people, as many were by his side before Lovejoy was conceived, but the way they have stood by him through these ventures is nothing short of sweet as well as nostalgic for the older faces in the crowd.
Within their set of massive fan-favourites such as ‘Taunt’, ‘Sex Sells’ and ‘One Day’, they managed to fit the new EP in full within the setlist. The EP, released back in May of this year, was a well-loved record among the fans and it showed. There was no lull, no quieting of the crowd out of not knowing the tracks all too well yet, no dip in energy. The air remained electric, the audience remained energetic, and the band played through with the greatest and most admirable of confidence. Confidence that they have visibly worked towards and have been helped with by the hundreds to thousands of people watching, listening, moving alongside them.
The highlight of the show was the encore; beginning with their performance of ‘Concrete’ with the help of an audience member. They pulled attendee Amy up on stage to play drums for the track and along with being a kind gesture and a sign of how much their fans mean to them, Amy was able to keep up with the rest of the group and the performance was fun and fantastic. She made the choice to even keep the drumsticks after her time on stage came to an end - a gesture that while common in live music shows of this calibre, still can mean the world to the right person.
There however was an incident that led to a stall within the encore, as the band had to stop a few times at the start of a track to ensure fans’ safety near the barrier of the venue. It’s not uncommon for some people in a crowd to become faint, dehydrated, ill and have to be removed safely as a result, but it was friendly of the band to refuse to continue until guaranteeing everyone’s safety. Due to this, Soot and his friends decided to extend the encore as an apology for the delay and a thank-you for the cooperation in the incident.
These tracks include another solo from Soot, titled ‘It’s All Futile! It’s All Pointless!’, along with new track ‘Portrait of a Blank Slate’ and concluding with ‘The Fall’. As the show comes to its somewhat unnatural end, no one is ready to leave and it’s understandable. For the fans - younger and older - it was a night to remember. For many, it was their first time seeing Lovejoy; for others it may be their first time seeing live music altogether. To choose a show like this, for these kids in attendance, there was no better way to jumpstart a new hobby than with Lovejoy being the introduction to it.
With the energy still flowing as the crowd vacated the venue, no one wanted to go home and sleep. No one wanted to wake up. Because as the band put in their EP title, when they wake up, it will all be over.
It is over, until next time.
Words by Jo Cosgrove
Photography by Izzy Clayton
