As ELIO storms through a fiery final set on her INFERNO tour at The Courtyard, it’s nothing short of a glorious pop netherworld in the sweaty underground venue.
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what makes the American songwriter so brilliant – the hooks, playful vocals and witty lyrics are all on point but ELIO exudes a charisma that transcends all of that.
As the final tones of ‘Off my Chest’ ease into early hit ‘Jackie Onasis’, the star delivers a ditty capable of soundtracking that euphoric Perks of Being a Wallflower scene when they cruise through the tunnel.
The heat is turned up after that as ELIO launches into the ever-catchy ‘Vitamins’ and pens a love song to ‘bestie’ Jeff Bezos on ‘Rich Like That’. The audience are hooked on every word.
The singer picks up the guitar for a moment of heartbreak as she swans through ‘Pick Me’, ‘New & Improved’ and ‘@elio.irl’. “Let’s get back into it,” she quips after that and dives into the pounding ‘Superimposed’.
The night ends in style with a flurry of hits. Charli XCX brought ‘Charger’ to fame, but it was a smash long before her verse and the flick ricochets off the Shoreditch venue’s walls. The snarling ‘Read the Room’ follows before the viral ‘inferno’ which sees ELIO name check Harry Style with a wink.
There won’t be another night like this for ELIO. She sets out an aim to double the size of the room for her next London visit. She’s being modest, ELIO’s charisma is arena-sized and it’s destined to reach those heights.
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