Bristol O2 Academy, 12th February
Glitter, confetti and magic in pure liquid form: Carly Rae Jepsen is not your average 15 minutes of fame. Many may know her as the young brunette Canadian singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame with “Call Me Maybe” in 2012. Charts were topped, and as the same for many female artists with a commercially successful, radio-friendly pop hit (Rebecca Black comes to mind), many, many memes were made. Ridicule of a successful young woman, disappointing but common.
However, she has proven herself to be much more than a one-hit-wonder ā she has proven that she has nailed the formula for the perfect pop song. With countless undeniably catchy anthems such as “Run Away With Me” and “I Really Like You”, Carly Rae Jepsen’s Bristol set at a sold-out O2 Academy paid homage to the most underrated Queen of Pop’s greatest writing over the years, from the very song which put her name on the map to her best work yet from her latest album The Loneliest Time, released last year.
Her stage presence was utterly captivating, the performance of someone who truly loves performing. Not because they have to, or because it’s what pays the bills, but because they genuinely want to put their everything into it, and it radiated throughout the venue. The chemistry between her and her band was unmistakable, a key part of the formula to a great show. Happy performers make for a happy crowd, and happy they were. Everyone in that room had a smile on their face; a large portion of the crowd likely attended following her performance at Bristol Pride last summer. And extremely appreciative of her work too, evident from the prolonged applause and cheers after performing the titular track from her latest album.
As for myself, I did not witness her Pride performance and I wouldn’t necessarily consider myself a big fan, however, after her performance I won’t be listening to much else other than her discography for a while.
ššø Daisy Kent – Music Photographer
Daisy Kent @daisylkent
Role: Photographer / Reviewer / Interviewer
Hi! I'm Daisy, and I'm a music photographer and digital creative. I also write live music reviews.
Qualifications: 2:1 in BA Photography: Editorial and Advertising at the University of Gloucestershire.
Available for: Gig Shoots, Gig Reviews, Photo Shoots, Album and Single cover shoots, Interviews and Touring
First attended gig: Mcfly at Westonbirt Arboretum, June 2009.
First gig shot: My first photo gig was The Stranglers at O2 Academy Bristol, in March 2019. My first writing and photo gig was Bastille at Marble Factory, in February 2022.
Dream gig: Taylor Swift, 100%. No doubt.
