Words: Ciaran Hiscox
Photos: Rebecca Young

★★★★★

Dodie began the night from offstage, her soft humming of ‘Arms Unfolding’, drifting through the venue as the band took their places. When the humming faded, she skipped confidently into view, somewhere between the white rabbit and a modern fey creature, greeted by an attentive crowd already buzzing with affection.

She opened with ‘Hot Mess’, a sultry, assured start that immediately pulled everyone into the show through her presence, movement, and crisp stagecraft. The mood shifted into playful territory with ‘I Feel Bad For You, Dave’, which Dodie used to introduce the band and poke fun at online hate while joking with the crowd. ‘The Answer’ followed, offering another taste of her new album ‘Not For Lack of Trying’.

Backlit so the band’s shadows stretched across the opposite wall, the first acoustic chords of ‘Cool Girl’ began. Dodie’s ethereal vocals wrapped the room, and the audience slipped naturally into their role as backup singers. The harmony flowed straight into ‘Smart Girl’, where an anxiety-inducing crescendo suddenly swallowed soft acoustic moments. Flashing lights intensified the feeling of sensory overload that sits at the heart of the song.

‘Hate Myself’ and ‘I’m Fine’ brought Dodie centre stage with her guitar, letting the vulnerability of the lyrics strengthen her connection with the room. Seated at a flower-covered piano bathed in purple light, she introduced ‘Someone Was Listening’, written for the game Life Is Strange, and followed it with an intimate rendition of ‘Tall Kids’.

After a short explanation of the meaning behind the album’s title track, she played a harmonious version of ‘Not For The Lack of Trying’ and then ‘Now’, performed softly in green fog.

Nostalgia took over with ‘When’, a song that has grown alongside Dodie and her audience. The nostalgia continued into ‘She’, performed beneath a stage draped in Pride colours, gentle and bittersweet.

Dodie invited her support act, Aron, for a warm duet of ‘Human’. The crowd naturally became a third vocalist, harmonising throughout. The connection stayed strong during ‘Guiltless’ and ‘Lonely Bones’, where Dodie proudly showed off her Welsh and asked the audience for the meaning of the title. Their joined la-la’s carried easily into fan favourite ‘Monster’, a burst of controlled chaos powered by the crowd’s energy. This playful energy continued into the main set closer, ‘Boys Like You’.

For the encore, Dodie returned alone and encouraged a cheering match between ‘Sick of Losing Soulmates’ and ‘Ready Now’. After a close call, she chose ‘Ready Now’, leaning into her bedroom-pop origins with a tender performance that guided the room through its emotional journey.

She ended the night with ‘Darling, Angel, Baby’, her ode to her cat. Fans lifted photos of their own pets while Dodie balanced singing with complimenting every cat she saw, closing the night with humour, warmth, and shared softness.

The night had a feeling of everyone being there to support their quirky best friend in their passion project; yet beneath that intimacy lies an artist who has evolved far beyond her online origins, crafting a confident, distinctive sound and nurturing a fan base that shows up not just for the music but also for the person behind it.

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