McKenna has a knack for picking excellent openers, and Vlad Holiday was no exception.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Holiday seemed effortlessly cool as he blended each song into the next, his lo-fi production and dreamlike vocals captivating the growing crowd. Accompanied by an excellent bassist and drummer, Holiday\u2019s distortion-filled performances of \u201cLike in the Movies\u201d and \u201cDowntown Baby\u201d were highlights (and the latter has been stuck in my head since he left the stage). His first full-length album, \u201cMy Favorite Drug,\u201d releases next month.<\/span><\/p>\n In a stark contrast from Holiday\u2019s grungy-rockstar look, Declan took the stage in a colorful, 60s-inspired button-down and flare pants\u2013 setting the tone for the retro-coolness he embodied throughout his performance.<\/span><\/p>\n Declan opened his set with \u201cSympathy,\u201d \u201cWhy Do You Feel So Down?\u201d and \u201cThe Key to Life on Earth\u201d \u2013one song from each of his three albums. While this is McKenna\u2019s first US tour since releasing his album \u201cWhat Happened to the Beach?\u201d the performance featured an array of songs from across his discography. Pedal effects and his band\u2019s vocal harmonies bridged the gap between his acoustic indie pop origins and the more psychedelic production of his newer work. Despite the differing tones of each album, the set was cohesive and left the audience in an exciting void, not knowing what would come next.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n McKenna then performed \u201cThat\u2019s Life,\u201d an unreleased song fans are sure to fall in love with. At the time of writing, Declan has <\/span>announced<\/span><\/a> the song\u2019s upcoming release on October 25th, accompanying a cheeky <\/span>post<\/span><\/a> marking the end of his label contract and the beginning of a new era as an independent artist.<\/span><\/p>\n Throughout the show, McKenna continued to bound seamlessly through songs of varying tones and styles\u2013 including a crowd-pleasing transition from laid-back \u201cMezzanine\u201d to upbeat favorite \u201cIsombard.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Although he stayed focused on music over spectacle, there was a palpable connection between him and the crowd. From lively bouncing to mellow swaying, Declan\u2019s energy was contagious, encouraging the audience to echo his ever-shifting vibes and ride the flow of the concert. Most people in the crowd were singing every word of his set back to him, making the large floor of Roadrunner seem more intimate than most smaller shows I\u2019ve seen.<\/span><\/p>\n After performing his first release and crowd-favorite \u201cBrazil,\u201d Declan took place at the keyboard, finishing his set with a stripped-back, vulnerable performance of \u201cIt\u2019s An Act.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Following a few moments of sitting with the finale, followed by a few more of screaming for an encore, the audience cheered as McKenna retook the stage, laughing and asking the crowd, \u201cDo you guys want, like, the complete opposite vibe?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The audience then danced through a lively performance of \u201cThe Phantom Buzz (Kick In)\u201d and roared as Declan seamlessly transitioned to \u201cBritish Bombs,\u201d leaving the zealous crowd with a message of peace as the lights dimmed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019ve been a fan of Declan McKenna since 2019, and his evolution as a musician and songwriter has been incredible to watch. This performance at Roadrunner was truly a testament to the range of his musicality, the dedication of his fans, and a bright future to come as an independent artist. Photography by Gwyneth Moe Review by Sadie Shelkey Since the runaway success of his debut single \u201cBrazil\u201d in 2015, Declan McKenna has evolved from a political indie-pop darling to a distinct experimental voice in the genre. Wednesday night, the English singer delighted Roadrunner with contagious energy and a diverse set that celebrated both his roots […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22960,"featured_media":43705,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1895,1525,1523,15,1530,1],"tags":[1974,2122,2123,2119,26,517,327,2120,320,2121,147,1585,1926,2124,25],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43695"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22960"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43695"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43695\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44145,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43695\/revisions\/44145"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43705"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43695"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43695"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"\/wtbu\/files\/2024\/10\/MG_3299.jpg\")
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