There probably isn’t too many reviews of support acts knocking around, let’s face it 95% of the audience are usually there for the main act especially if it’s a relatively small venue with not a huge name upfront. But on this occasion I’m going to drop two reviews as the support was so damn good why the hell not! Not many people will have heard of folk singer Elanor Moss, me included until a few days ago. I usually make a point of listening to the artists on the drive over to the gig, to see what to expect like. So as I traversed the delights of the A66 and the A1(M) down to Leeds I immersed myself in what Elanor had to offer. I really liked what I heard, a couple of EP’s worth, entitled “Citrus” and “Cosmic” in fact.
Fast forward a hundred miles or so and a sold out venue in Leeds and Elanor is opening for the local hero and good friend Sam Griffiths aka “The Howl and the Hum”. Opening up the evening, bare footed, she is joined on stage by violinist “Reid Jenkins”, we are then treated to a set of beautifully sung songs, mostly new material but a continuation of the musical journey that Elanor is on and taking us along for the ride. I’m not sure I’ve seen an audience as attentive to an artist like this in a long time, an almost reverential hush descends as each song starts and the loud and heartfelt clapping and cheering at the end of each one is a striking contrast to what has just gone before.
Each crafted song is a mastery of vocals and guitar with “Catholic” a particular favourite for me on the night.
Before we know it Elanor’s time is up and she seems genuinely taken aback with the crowds reaction, all of which is genuinely deserved. As an added bonus we get to see and hear her again as she joins the main act on stage for a few numbers too, all of which goes down a storm. If you like some very chilled story telling folk music sung beautifully then you should do yourself a favour and check Elanor Moss out.
MUSIC PREMIERES
Lykke Li didn’t hold back when speaking about the making of her sixth studio album, ‘The Afterparty’, during a listening session in Los Angeles earlier this year. “Let’s talk about the album. It was a motherfucker to make,” she admitted to the crowd. While balancing motherhood, the chaos of modern culture shaped by Trump and AI, and her own desire to create something more “extroverted, impulsive and chaotic” than ‘EYEYE’, as she previously shared with NME, the Swedish alt pop star arrived at a headspace that “feels like it’s 4am and the sun is going to rise”. The record captures that blurry final moment before regret, exhaustion and reality settle in, which makes it even more emotional considering she has hinted this could potentially be her final album.
There is something fitting about how brief the project feels. With only nine tracks running across 24 minutes, it never overstays its welcome. Lykke immediately drops listeners into the atmosphere with opener ‘Not Gon Cry’, painting a picture of those lonely early morning hours with the line, “No angels here tonight, no dancing queens.” Alongside the shadowy pulse of ‘Happy Now’ and the twisted disco energy of ‘Lucky Now’, she revisits the emotional yet dance driven spirit of her earlier material while blending in the sharper, more confident attitude heard on ‘So Sad, So Sexy’ and the shimmering influence of her 2019 Mark Ronson collaboration ‘Late Night Feelings’.
The emotional fallout begins to settle in quickly. ‘Famous Last Words’ carries a lush orchestral sadness as Lykke reflects on lessons that only came after years of chaos and late nights, confessing, “I had to crash and burn to tell the tale.” Then comes ‘Future Fear’, a delicate acoustic track with robotic textures that stares directly into anxiety and uncertainty with the chilling question, “I’m going to a dark place, do you need anything?” Meanwhile, ‘So Happy I Could Die’ glows like sunrise after a sleepless night, holding onto fleeting moments as she sings about “slipping through the hourglass”.
Throughout the album, Lykke Li vividly captures the beauty and wreckage of reckless nights with the vulnerability that has always defined her music. On ‘Sick Of Love’, she channels heartbreak into revenge, wanting to “make you beg for it” after rejection in a way that feels spiritually connected to Robyn’s ‘Dancing On My Own’. One of the strongest moments arrives with ‘Knife In The Heart’, a track that fully embraces her desire to become the “rock god” and “fuck boy” she spoke about, firing back at anyone who tries to tear her down with the words “you can spit, you can walk on me” while delivering one of the catchiest songs she has created in years.
Closing track ‘Euphoria’ leaves behind the same bittersweet feeling that runs through the rest of the album. With sweeping strings, pulsing beats and emotional intensity, Lykke Li reminds listeners that nothing lasts forever as she sings, “Player play your song, waste the night away”. Like the fading energy of the perfect night out, ‘The Afterparty’ ends in a haze of beauty and uncertainty. If this truly is her farewell, she leaves with one final intoxicating statement, though it still feels like there could be another chapter waiting.
