Lydia May 'Debut Rock Band Show'

When a show sells out in less than a day you know the anticipation is high. However, when that same show also happens to be an artist’s first with a full band, and takes place in the venue that shaped them and gave them a place to call home, it becomes a standout moment in time. That was the reality last night for Lydia May with her debut headline show at a packed out Elephants Head in Camden. 

The energy was palpable across the room, with a feeling that this would be a genuine 'I was there moment' before Lydia had even taken to the stage. The second she made her way through the crowd, the venue erupted, with the night's headliner receiving a heroes welcome. Lydia was joined on the night by her debuting live band, Megan on guitar, Liv on bass, and Hannah on drums. A layered vocal intro filled the room before the band dropped into the opening of Star Girl. The full band version gave it a rockier bite, something that would become a consistent theme for the whole night. The song shifted from upbeat pop into a hard hitting opener that set the tone perfectly.

With such a strong discography already under her belt the set almost felt like a greatest hits, with every word being screamed back by an adoring audience as if their lives depended on it. Tracks like 'Social Cues' and 'prom' were sung back with such force you’d think they were already timeless classics. Most artists would give anything to have one song that lands the way these did.

'you’ve got this kid' followed, a track filled with hope and reassurance, and a reminder of everything Lydia’s music stands for. The sense of community in the room was impossible to miss. People of all backgrounds were there, tied together by an artist who makes everyone feel seen. This relationship works both ways too. Lydia gets as much love from her Maybelles as they get from her, and you can feel that especially during 'Life Saver', a song that has grown with them and taken on a deeper meaning over time.

After two emotion heavy moments Lydia lifted the energy even higher with a cover of Blondie’s 'Heart of Glass', a nod to one of her biggest inspirations and a subtle link to the legends who shaped Camden before her. David Bowie is another of those influences, with the Star Man's influence being felt across the Star Girl's outfit. Designed by Elliott MacGregor, it captured her artistic vision with ease, something Lydia herself highlighted before introducing another unreleased track, 'Purger'. Her stage presence hit a different level during this one, and her chemistry with the band was impossible to miss. The song is hard to describe genre-wise other than a fully atmospheric masterpiece that deserves to be played in the biggest rooms possible.

The run of unreleased music continued with a heartfelt version of piano-backed ballad 'the right'. I'm certainly not ashamed to admit I found myself choked up by just how stunning a performance this was, and that experience was clearly shared by many attendance who found themselves welling up throughout the song. That emotion made the sudden kick into the rock heavy blast of 'drop dead gorgeous' even more powerful. People didn’t even have time to wipe their faces before they were bouncing around The Elephants Head with Lydia right there in the middle of them. The impact of her recent single can’t be understated. It felt like a full launch into a new era, and last night was the song's crowning moment.

Once that joyful chaos settled Lydia moved into two more unreleased tracks, 'another' and 'hold onto you', both reinforcing just how strong this next chapter is shaping up to be. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an artist hold a room so tightly while playing unreleased music. It speaks to the strength of Lydia May’s songwriting and the way her audience throws their whole heart into anything she shares.

The night closed with what is becoming Lydia's must-see set closer, 'confessions of an insomniac', which started and ended with a harmonius full room singalong. However this didn’t feel like your standard audience participation. It felt more like a collective release, a shared moment of connection and belonging that Lydia's music brings. There couldn’t have been a more fitting end to a night that should have cemented Lydia May's place as the future of theatrical-rock. Althoguh having been in attendance I can safely say the future has already arrived. Lydia has the lyrics, the sound and the presence of a real star, and it’s surely only a matter of time before everyone else catches up.