Lights
The Garage // London, England // 23 May 2019
Photos and review by Rachael Dowd
Leading up to her highly anticipated slot at this year’s Slam Dunk Festival, Lights returned to London for the first time in nearly three years, bringing along with her plenty of new material from her latest album, Skin&Earth.
Playing an eighteen song set list that spanned her entire career, much to the satisfaction of the sold-out crowd at London’s The Garage, Lights also had a few surprises in store for those in attendance. Opening up her set with the hard-hitting Skin&Earth tracks “New Fears,” “Fight Club,” and “Savage,” Lights lit up the stage with her charismatic personality while her most passionate fans lined the barricade and screamed the lyrics back to her.
Lights also included two covers in her set – Cher’s “Believe” and The Cardigans’ “Lovefool.” Her beautiful renditions of the classic tracks not only showcased her ability to take well-known songs and put her own spin on them to make them her own, but also gave those who may not know all of her songs the chance to sing along with the rest of the crowd. The covers were two moments during the night that helped elevate the energy in the room, helping to send the second half of the set off on a high.
Before debuting her brand new song “Lost Girls,” off of her forthcoming album, Skin&Earth Acoustic Collection, Lights shared that she is excited to start this next chapter in her career with her new album and new label Fueled By Ramen. Although the song had only been released a few days prior to the London show, the crowd sang along to the track as if it had been out for years, showing just how excited they also are for this new chapter Lights is about to embark on.
A major highlight of the night was the inclusion of “Last Thing On Your Mind” which was released back in 2009 on her debut album, The Listening. Although the audience did fumble with the order of the lyrics, something that Lights found hilarious, that didn’t stop them from singing passionately along during the rare performance, a moment that showed just how many fans have been with the singer since her MySpace days over a decade ago.
Closing out the night with “Giants,” Lights put on an energetic performance that not only showed her ability to captivate a room the moment she steps on stage, but also her growth as an artist since she emerged onto the scene over a decade ago. Filled with a wide range of material that pleased all in attendance, it can only be hoped that it won’t be another three years before Lights returns to the UK. However, if that be the case, there’s no doubt that the same group of dedicated fans will be there to greet her when she hits the stage once more.
