REVIEW: Stella Donnelly @ Once Ballroom 3/22

By Ben Gorelick

ONCE Ballroom was in a buzz after the opening act, Faye Webster, had shared not only her songs, but also some genuinely impressive yo-yo tricks. After this, people had come on stage starting to set up drums, synths, and different guitars and pedals. The excitement for Stella Donnelly was palpable in the air.

Donnelly herself is an Australian and Welsh musician, who released her first EP, Thrush Metal, in 2017, and her debut album which her tour was titled after, Beware of the Dogs, in early March of 2019. She’s been hailed as a “feminist folk hero on the rise,” and “tipped for international success.”

Donnelly entered the stage to uproarious cheering and applause, and she thanked the crowd for coming out to the show. She began her set with a solo song from her EP, called “Grey.” The lights on the stage shone in a deep blue, emphasizing and echoing the melancholic tone of the song.

The ONCE Ballroom was almost full, yet every single pair of eyes and ears was fixed on the singer-guitarist in front of them. It was incredibly apparent in person thatDonnelly brings an incredible amount of musicianship to the table. Her voice and guitar playing were absolutely captivating in the best way.

After this was another solo song “written about (her) boss at (her) old job,” titled “U Owe Me.” Before the song started, she made sure everyone in the room knew about one lyric in the song about the Australian beer VB. During the song, when the lyric about VB came along she ended up singing the line twice, once with the Australian beer, and again with the name of an American beer that a concert-goer in front of the stage had with them. All in all, it made for a hilarious moment in the middle of an otherwise not-so-funny song.

Next up on the setlist were “Beware of the Dogs,” and “Mosquito,” both solo songs from Donnelly’s newest album. The latter of these songs was introduced as “the only love song I’ve ever written,” and after it was finished, she played the accompanying song “Allergies,” which is about the breakup after the relationship introduced in “Mosquito.” Stella’s vocal control and guitar prowess were on full display here, showcasing her passion and drive for wanting to perform music and have her stories heard.

After these came the emotional apex of both her debut album and her EP, “Boys Will Be Boys.” Stella proved a content warning before the song, due to it dealing with themes of sexual assault and holding men to a higher standard, but to go along with the themes, she added in a message that there are sweet, loving boys in the world that also don’t deserve to be dragged down by the false adage of boys being boys. Audience members were singing along to a performance even more emotional and intense than the recorded version, and the room was truly alive.

Next up was another song from her EP, “Talking,” a song about a failing relationship that you want to keep afloat, with some very impressive vocals. For this song, one of her band members came on to play the synth for Donnelly. After this, she invited her band up on stage and introduced all of them to the audience, and they all gave the impression that they were genuinely very good friends with each other. All of the songs they played together were from Beware of the Dogs.

The first song they played as a band was “Lunch,” followed by the lead single from Beware of the Dogs, “Old Man.” While performing as a band, the audience took hold of the sheerly wholesome energy they exuded and started moving around and dancing.

The next few songs were “Watching Telly,” “Season’s Greetings,” and “Bistro,” which were all slower songs, but they all showcased different members of the band as well as intricate harmonies. Between each song, Donnelly gave small anecdotes about certain members, which were all interesting and humorous.

After these came the more energetic songs “Die” and “Tricks.” For these, Stella and the band were all dancing around on stage, and it seemed like the band was having fun playing with each other. The audience again latched onto their energy, and started dancing around with each other. The last song was a return to Donnelly’s EP, with “Mechanical Bull.” It featured a solo Donnelly and her quintessentially feminist lyrics, reminding the audience that behind all of the fun and excitement of the show was a woman wanting to share her stories to the world.