Following the release of her second ep You, Dodie performed for the last leg of her You tour at Nottingham’s Rescue Rooms.
The beginning of the evening was introduced by the beautiful voice of Joel Baker, a local Nottingham musician who in my eyes resembled a mix of Ed Sheeran and Passenger. He took to the stage with a fun sense of humour and an incredible voice.
Greta Isaac, the second support act entered the stage followed by her sister on vocals and her guitarist. This was the first time I had ever heard of this artist and she did not disappoint. All I can say is that Dodie picked her support acts very carefully, and they are both individuals that live through their music with incredibly soft and soulful voices.
As the supporting acts finished, several of Dodie’s crew took to the stage which of course hit the audience by surprise, followed with a fair bit of laughter. Dodie’s team had dressed up as Dodie for Halloween! They entered the stage dressed in Dodie’s yellow tank top from her merch stand and a black dungaree dress, and for the guys their outfits were finished with a brown wig.
When the time came Dodie bounced on to stage in the same attire as her band, clutching her ukulele that was bound around her with a yellow strap. With the sparkle from the glitter on her face she introduced herself brilliantly and began to open the set with a ferociously upbeat rendition of the fan favourite, One for the Road.
Dodie’s band, however, was the glue of the show. Their infectious enthusiasm hit the room as everyone absorbed their excitement and love for the people in front of them. It was a gig that brought everyone together, so much so that it felt like a huge family party.
In the middle of the show Dodie introduced a song that resonated hugely with the audience. Opening with “Ok, so who here is a little bit queer?”. As many hands started to raise, the room felt safe and accepting and was filled with so much pride. This led on to Dodie, who is bi-sexual, mentioning her struggle to come to terms with her sexuality in the past, something of which she has been very open about on her channel. To the audience, it was obvious before she even announced the name of the song she was about to play. It was ‘She’.
‘She’ is a heartfelt and incredibly beautiful tune about coming to terms with your sexuality, something of which many in the room related to. It is clear that ‘She’ is an anthem for those who could also be struggling like Dodie herself has. Dodie is a huge advocate for being proud of your sexuality and embracing it. As she did so, wrapped in a pride flag given to her from the front row of the audience, the room felt so warm as she beautifully delivered the ever so meaningful song.
Dodie tagged two extra songs on to the end of her very last show on her You tour, in an encore. Those being ‘Party Tattoos’ and ‘Would you be so kind’. As she finished her last song, which the crowd evidently went wild for, she thanked her band and everyone on the tour. The entire band and Dodie bowed and after throwing various wigs, guitar picks and drumsticks into the crowd, they left the stage.
Dodie didn’t disappoint, being as cheerful and sincere on stage as she is in her videos and music. It was an evening filled with love and an infectious sense of fun. The opportunities to dance and forget all your troubles were endless.
By Chloe Underwood