Lorde review – viscerally kinetic theatrics and euphoric abandon

AO Arena, Manchester The New Zealand alt-pop diva’s show has shades of Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense colliding with frenetic digital glitches and moments of crowd-pleasing intimacyLorde has been trying to make sense of the gawky phases of girlhood since her 2013 debut Pure Heroine and while more stars open their therapy sessions to the public, the New Zealand alt-pop diva makes unpicking adolescence far less embarrassing.A single blue laser sweeps the 21,000-capacity AO Arena before settling on the singer performing Hammer, barefoot in baggy jeans that hang from her hips. There’s a slinky, strung-out downtown New York theatre trope slipping through the set showcasing her latest release Virgin; subtle nods to Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense pile up as each song brings a new prop and body to clamber across tabletops in euphoric abandon. Continue reading...

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