Wasia Project showcase a polished performance at the O2 Academy2 Birmingham
O2 Academy2 Birmingham, 19th November 2024
The crowd is buzzing with anticipation, it is a sea of shiny silver and black dresses. The crowd hushes into silence as Hohnen Ford, the opening act for the tour, takes the stage. Entering alone and settling herself behind her keyboard, Ford immediately entrances the audience with her mesmerizing voice, leaving them to hang on to her every lyric. Her set list includes ‘Honest Mistake’ which touches on the themes of nostalgia and the dichotomy between intimacy and painful distance from your partner with the lyrics: “There’s a canyon between our twin beds”. Ford has proven herself to be an artist to watch, with her career only on an upward trajectory as she opens for FINNEAS next year; I am excited to see what she creates next.
Rounding out their year-long tour for their new EP Isotope, Wasia Project have proven that they are nowhere close to exhausted. The crowd cheers in excitement as smoke fills the stage and the brother-sister duo, Olivia Hardy and William Gao, take their places. The opening number, ‘Is This What Love Is?’ sets the tone for the rest of the concert as Hardy’s hauntingly beautiful voice creates an intimate atmosphere between the fans and the band but, indeed, her stage presence is something to marvel at. I look around to see the audience in awe of her and her fluid movements on stage and it becomes clear that this concert is going to be one to remember.
Indeed, a highlight of the night was hearing the duo’s most popular song ‘ur so pretty’
The band smoothly transitions into, ‘My Lover is Sleeping’, and it is within this song that Gao’s talent behind the keyboard and his backing vocals really shine through – highlighting the synergy of their voices leading to their unique sound. Hardy breaks from the song to ask the crowd, “How are you feeling tonight?”, an ode to the band’s commitment to crowd participation, before transitioning into ‘Petals on the Moon’. Even within these first three numbers, the duo’s musicality is shown to be unmatched with the fusion of genres such as pop, classical, and jazz, creating dynamic numbers that allow them to fill a gap in the music industry.
Hardy thanks the crowd for their continued support and introduces their band, revealing that after a year of “on and off” touring, Birmingham is the last stop on their travels. The pair have had a whirlwind of a year, touring in North America and performing a sold-out show in their hometown of London, a testament to their loyal and loving fanbase, which is not constrained to the UK.
Indeed, a highlight of the night was hearing the duo’s most popular song ‘ur so pretty’. The quiet gasps in the crowd, when hearing the opening melody, highlight the raw, vulnerable lyricism of the piece and the duo’s ability to tether themselves so closely to their audience with their music – a difficult yet impressive feat. With only Hardy and Gao on stage, the audience sings quietly alongside the duo. It is one of the most emotional moments of the night and is symbolic of Wasia Project’s understanding that music must always be a deeply personal endeavour and a medium in which to find community and safety, with Hardy stating that playing this song is always “special” as it acted as a gateway for most fans to find and connect with their music. The lighting design for the concert is intricately thought-out as it allows for the correct mood to be set within each song, permitting the songs (such as this one) to be extremely intimate, with only four back lights illuminating the stage.
There is a drastic shift in tone during the next song: a cover of Sade’s much-loved ‘Smooth Operator’, which gets the crowd going wild
Hardy and Gao then re-welcome Ford back onto the stage to sing a cover of Celeste’s, ‘A Little Love’, which is seemingly apt due to the snow earlier on in the day and the incoming month of Christmas. The blend of their three voices creates a rich sound and is a real treasure to be able to witness. The pair then play “My Vine” and transition into ‘To Get Better’ in which Gao takes the lead. His voice has a deeply emotional quality to it, and it is his ability to not only sing but feel the lyrics which creates a new sense of depth to the song.
There is a drastic shift in tone during the next song: a cover of Sade’s much-loved ‘Smooth Operator’, which gets the crowd going wild. It is at this point where we reach one of the most fun parts of the night as Gao splits the crowd down the middle, with the left side of the room singing the chorus whilst the right, following Hardy, sings “Coast to coast, LA to Chicago, western male”. Smiles light up the room, and whether the audience will be called back for a professional recording is still up for debate, but one thing is for certain: it made my night!
As they take their bows at the end of the performance, it is clear that Wasia Project are a force to be reckoned within the music industry
As we approach the end of the concert, the pair sing ‘Somebody Come Through’ and ‘Tell Me Lies’, before announcing that the concert is over and running off the stage. However, the crowd quickly breaks into the chant of “one more song!” and eagerly awaits their return.
It is not long before the band are back on stage, playing two songs within their encore, ‘Misfit Biscuit’ and ‘Impossible’, where the crowd sings back the chorus loudly, leaving everyone in the audience in high spirits.
As they take their bows at the end of the performance, it is clear that Wasia Project are a force to be reckoned within the music industry. They should be an inspiration to all artists in the way they allow their art to drive their performance. They create an extremely dynamic performance, moving from feelings of melancholy to moments of levity without the shifts in mood feeling harsh. Every moment of the concert is performed with intention and in the spirit of their bounding gratitude to their fans.
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