After a year which was completely deprived of live music, fans eagerly queued for Dodie at the O2 Academy Birmingham. This was their first performance in support of their debut album Build A Problem, which landed at number 3 in the charts in late May.

The night started with an up-beat performance from the support act Will Joseph Cook. One particularly memorable song from his set is ‘4am,’ which is in fact new and unreleased. Cook said that ‘the vibe of the song is windows down driving through a city,’ which is particularly resonant with the heavy drum and guitar instrumental at the end. Cook ended his set with the song ‘Be Around Me,’ which was released last year and went viral on TikTok. This was certainly a crowd favourite, raising the energy in the room.

After Cook’s set there was a little wait for Dodie, who was scheduled to come on at 21:00. Five minutes before this time, the venue’s lights turned off and a singular note was played out in complete darkness for several minutes, creating an almost ethereal and spiritual atmosphere. This note can be seen as a prolonged and exaggerated replication of the opening note of ‘Air So Sweet’ – the opening song on her album. The lights then turned back on and Dodie appeared on stage alongside their band and an orchestra to deliver the first song of their set – ‘Cool Girl.’ Two violins and a cello made up the orchestra, and there is no doubt that incorporating an orchestra onto this tour was a perfect decision as it certainly fits the calming tone of her album and adds to the angelic atmosphere that she was trying to create. Furthermore, I cannot discuss their band without also mentioning Orla Gartland, who outstandingly delivered on guitar and backing vocals all night.

Dodie then continued the night with ‘I Kissed Someone (It Wasn’t You),’ ‘Guiltless,’ ‘Human’ and ‘Special Girl,’ switching between playing their ukulele and acoustic guitar. ‘Special Girl’ was particularly remarkable, with an unexpected clarinet instrumental by Dodie at the end. She then took to piano to perform a mash up of old songs, which included ‘Would You Be So Kind’ and ‘6/10.’ With the elegant piano playing, these songs felt almost ballad-like, creating a beautiful, emotional, and nostalgic recital.

Rainbow lights then lit up the stage for performances of ‘Rainbow’ and ‘She,’ which resulted in lots of singing and dancing from the audience. This heightened energy seems to come from the fact that many fans resonated with her lyrics. Dodie then preceded to have a wholesome talk with the audience, saying ‘this time last year I was sat on my ass but I feel much better now.’ I can imagine that after not being able to perform live for over a year it was a massive relief for her to be back on tour again, and I suppose many members of the audience related to this comment as well.

Another memorable moment from the concert was the sense of community created when Dodie performed ‘Monster,’ as everyone on stage and in the audience clapped on beat for the entirety on the song. I must also mention her aggressive drum solo during their performance of ‘In The Middle,’ which was unexpected but quite funny. Finally, the closing song of the evening was ‘Hate Myself,’ which saw Dodie change into the iconic postwoman outfit from the song’s music video, which she then preceded to perform the song in.

If you are a fan of Dodie and ever get the opportunity to see them live, I would highly recommend you take up the opportunity to do so. Dodie has a way of making her live performances extra special so in no way is it similar to streaming the album at home. With many extra quirks to the songs, the beautiful orchestra, the variety of instruments they play, and the ambient lights, Dodie created an angelic and atmospheric performance that is not to be missed.

You Might Also Like:

Live Review: Beabadoobee

Album Review: Lorde – Solar Power

Album Review: Billie Eilish – Happier Than Ever