Voice of London

Retro-pop singer Suki Waterhouse left a lasting impression with her performance in London. 

Three weeks after the release of her latest EP Milk Teeth, the London-born singer and actress performed at G-A-Y & Heaven nightclub on the 22nd of November. 

Waterhouse’s supporting act was British indie singer Findlay. After the concert, the mostly underground artist told us: “It’s so amazing like I can’t believe it [opening for Waterhouse].”

Findlay’s performance was an amazing opening, perfectly setting the atmosphere for the bewitching performance to come. 

Enter Suki Waterhouse.

The lights turned down. The harmonious prerecorded vocals of the singer slowly rose from the speakers. ‘Do you know where dreams come from,’ a monologue from the TV series Twin Peaks layered on top of the soft melody. The crowd was quiet. The brightness of phone screens was the only source of light. The air was tense with anticipation as the crowd tried to make out the silhouette of Waterhouse. A raspy rendition of her song Melrose Meltdown softly bled into the track. 

A single blue stage light finally lit up revealing the singer. 

Elitsa Maymareva, 21, said: “Suki’s performance was long-awaited for me because I’ve never been to a concert in London before.” 

Waterhouse started her set with Bullshit on the Internet, a track off of her senior album I Can’t Let Go. Her movements were reminiscent of old rock stars – an essence of Stevie Nicks. It’s possible she brought the mannerism of Karen Sirko, the character she’s portraying in the new series Daisy Jones and the Six, with her on stage. Her voice was very clear – never drowned out by the live band with her, it was as graceful as the studio-recorded version. 

Argia Hernandez, 21, said: “Suki knows how to deliver a show and her performance was brilliant.”

With the Devil I Know, the second song on the setlist, we got a clear view of Waterhouse. She was donning a stunning electric blue suit with a fringed tank top – a modernised boho chic look.

At this point the crowd was surprisingly quiet, a little dead, maybe a little bit too starstruck. With the venue being quite intimate, even people nearing the back were still relatively close to the singer.

Argia commented: “Because the concert hall wasn’t massive, it felt like we were more connected to her and her music.” 

But by the third song, Moves, the crowd had seemingly collected their jaws off the floor to support Waterhouse in signing the track. It had taken three songs for the crowd to finally liven up. After that, each song saw people vocalising, dancing, and screaming. With every song, the crowd conformed to the individual vibes. 

When she spoke, she had a welcoming stage presence, an essence of ‘the girl next door’ – if you could believe it – slightly awkward but very charming. But nonetheless, she captivated the room as she spoke, and we eagerly waited for her words. You could see how excited she was to be performing in her hometown and her gratitude for the support; she was humble. And it was so refreshing to see. 

Elitsa said: “She has such a way of communicating with the audience, it’s the way she was just casually chatting with the crowd – very down to Earth.” 

The last song on Waterhouse’s setlist was Good Looking, arguably her most famous song. The atmosphere was impeccable but it was a bittersweet moment.

Though the concert was an hour long, Waterhouse is a singer you can’t get enough of – a natural-born performer you can’t take your eyes off, absolutely hypnotic. 

Words: Ashreya Jimi | Subbing: Elitsa Maymareva | Featured Image: Ashreya Jimi