Lovejoy Live at o2 Forum Kentish Town - 27/09/2023

 Lovejoy’s return to London was triumphant, loud and exciting. After their release of their new EP Wake Up and It’s Over and months of touring North America and summer festivals, the UK tour has seen a superb setlist comprising of the vast majority of their discography and the sold-out London show was no different.

Taking the stage at O2 Forum Kentish Town, the band kicked off the show with a song from their recent release. ‘Consequences’ instantly set the tone for the rest of the show-engaging, fun and fast. There were few breaks and the crowd, excited and eager to sing back to frontman Wilbur Soot, made sure to be loud. The next tracks played were equally as loud and as fast, the crowd joining in with the fandom jokes as they sang certain parts loudly or echoed the ad-libs; ‘Perfume’ being a popular one as the backing vocals for “AM!’ and ‘A PRICK!” being one of the loudest moments in the entire show.

The band were flawless live. Wilbur, who already had a strong fanbase from his time doing YouTube, engaged the crowd with ease as he made band introductions and told jokes/stories about his time in London. The rest of the band (Ash Kabosu on bass, Joe Goldsmith on lead guitar and Mark Boardman on drums with Leandra Badruza on trumpets for the tour) moved through the songs with ease. Creating anticipation and excitement for every part of the set, despite it not being necessary with how enthused the audience already was, the band elevated the songs to a whole new level in a live performance with how tight they were and the enthusiasm they had to be performing live. 

The complex wordplay and thoughtful yet fun lyricism were backed by the intricacies of each instrument. The drums kept a steady beat as the bass and rhythm guitar led the way with the flashy lead; the trumpets added a new dimension that helped to enrich each track performance. It was like clockwork for them. While the band hasn’t been touring for decades, they are already seasoned professionals and it would be easy to mistake this for their tour for the 3rd album let alone their 3rd EP.

As they return for the encore, playing beloved fan favourites and popular singles: ‘One Day’, ‘Concrete’ and ‘Portrait of a Blank Slate’, the band rounded off their return to the capital. When they might return is unknown, same with when they might next release a new project, however with the current stream of shows on the ‘Wake Up and It’s Over Tour’ they have solidified themselves as not just a superb recording artist but a brilliant and exciting live band that can engage the crowd and showcase their songs to the best of their ability (often times elevating them). The future is bright for Lovejoy and their return, despite only having just played, is already highly anticipated.