Live review: Indie pop starlet Beabadoobee glistens on night of alt-rock bliss

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Bedroom pop trailblazer Beabadoobee paid a fleeting but profoundly sweet visit to South Yorkshire on her chart-topping This Is How Tomorrow Moves tour.

After accompanying global pop phenomenon Taylor Swift on her Eras tour last year, Beatrice, also known by her stage as Beabadoobee, pulled out all the stops for her most recent and personal tour yet, which included the endearing choice of the opening band, the meticulous Momma when she dropped in at Sheffield’s Octagon.

The Brooklyn-based rock band were picked to open for the UK leg of Beabadoobee's extended tour of Britain, and they were a pristine-sounding addition to the bill.

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Their victorious and punk-crushing show converted the hall to an indie-sleaze garage scene, as the New Yorkers delivered a set of their gnarly greats to the Steel City crowd.

Indie pop starlet Beabadoobee thrilled the Sheffield crowd.Indie pop starlet Beabadoobee thrilled the Sheffield crowd.
Indie pop starlet Beabadoobee thrilled the Sheffield crowd.

Despite only having a brief section of the night to showcase a streamlined catalogue of hits, the brashly bright-sounding band left an indelible impression on the devoted Beabadoobee fans who arrived early to watch their strong start to the night of live music ahead.

With an early start announced on the Iloilo City-born artist's socials, the night of pop rock began at half-past eight on the dot – and eagerly awaiting fans, who had been patiently idling outside the iconic eight-walled venue The Octagon since the early hours, had to wait no longer as Beatrice and her talented band made their way to the Sheffield stage.

The London-raised artist got the night of intimately bittersweet tracks started with the nostalgic sounding yet youthfully defiant California.

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The loud grunge tones complimented Beabadoobee's dreamy vocals, as the anthem was a perfect summation of everything that makes Beatrice's work so sought-after by her devoted fan base.

Beabadoobee took her South Yorkshire audience on a melodic journey of dreamy indie pop bliss. (Photos: Luc Burke-Lejeune).Beabadoobee took her South Yorkshire audience on a melodic journey of dreamy indie pop bliss. (Photos: Luc Burke-Lejeune).
Beabadoobee took her South Yorkshire audience on a melodic journey of dreamy indie pop bliss. (Photos: Luc Burke-Lejeune).

Wearing a sleek black dress and sparkly sneakers, the Filipino-British singer perfectly encapsulated her genre-spanning collection of charming, yet sometimes harrowingly intimate songs through her wardrobe choice alone.

10:36 was a particularly fantastic highlight of her fervently ever-present fan base, as exerts and lyrics were sung aloud and crisply back to the sincerely able songstress.

Next up was the vibrant yet animatedly punk track Charlie Brown, which, although matching a name with the Peanuts character, had no other resemblance.

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The turbulent underground piece is propelled by some rebellious guitar strings and Beatrice's impassioned vocal performance.

Between a couple of select tracks, the show would traverse through various soundscapes and projections, transforming her music into an ambient journey of self-discovery.

Bitterly brilliant Take A Bite was an appealing combination of dazed guitars and a melancholy but dreamy vocal from the ever-dazzling young talent, so it's easy to see why this fiery fuelled frolic was chosen as the first single for her latest standout album.

Warm and vividly lovely Sunny Day was an enjoyable and summery sounding performance, with hazy specific memories of beautiful and diaristic accounts weaved delicately into this unfiltered sensitive composition.

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Ever Seen was admittedly a personal undiscovered highlight for myself, as the instant ear pleaser traversed tunefully out to the sea of northerners and travelling fans. The track has an indescribable and unique nostalgic glimmer to it, which is why the optimistic melody sparkled so joyously amongst a set of her unforgettable records.

The concert was then slowed down for a couple of Beatrice's softly fuzzy anthems with a tingling cosy warmth that can only be compared to the subtle tapping of rain against a window on a frosty autumnal night like the one tonight.

These delicate and quietly strong selections were Glue Song, Coffee, and Girl Song.

The Ocean To City portion of her setlist was rounded off with one of my favourite Beabadoobee releases, and it turned out to be Beatrice’s favourite, too.

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Beaches was a mellow dream of nostalgic recollections complemented by a gritty edge-cutting guitar.

The thundering Care pushed her set to the end of her concert. Still, it made sure to close with a passionate pop as the bubble grunge artist shot towards the conclusion of her unquestionably spectacular performance.

Her preliminary set concluded with two engaging singalong favourites: She Plays Bass and the indie smash hit Cologne.

The talented singer/songwriter returned for an encore of three more select tunes for the dedicated Sheffield audience; the first two were acoustic only, accompanied by Beatrice's whispery yet dreamlike delivery; these were Coming Home (dedicated to her boyfriend and cats) and the memorably sweet The Way Things Go.

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Last but not least was the serene high of See You Soon, which saw her backup band return to the stage, and with a name like that, it'd only make perfect sense that it would be the set closing for an emotional evening of Beatrice's best.

As she waved her farewells to the South Yorkshire audience, she expressed her desire to return to the ever-bustling music scene of Sheffield; here's to hoping those promises are kept since her show was a resonating enchantment of melodic vulnerability.

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