Edinburgh Summer Sessions: Lorde after dark
Written by Skye Taylor
Lorde performing at Edinburgh Summer Sessions
Lorde has always had a way of putting complicated emotions of being young vulnerable and scared into the most simplistic and raw ways. For a lot of teenage girls it may feel like Lorde has taken all their thoughts they want to hide from the world and turned them into her songs. Her music captures the highs and lows of being young and growing up. Her music captures all the scary moments, the excitement of your first best friend, being left behind, heartbreak and the constant uncertainty of who you truly are as a person and trying to figure out who you are. All of her songs just flow right out as if every thought you have ever had is coming alive in front of you, and without any doubt, Lorde successfully took this to the next level at Edinburgh Summer Sessions on the 25 August. It's obvious just how deeply Lorde’s music connects with people emotionally and physically.
Before Lorde hit Edinburgh, Audrey Hobert warmed up the stage with banger after banger. Although she’s not fully hit the mainstream, she still got the crowd going without fail. Hobert had the most beautiful, authentic energy that stood out as she owned the stage like it was her bedroom while listening to music on her phone. She looked like she truly loved the stage. From ‘Phoebe’ to ‘Silver Jubilee’ to finishing with her most well-known song ‘Sue me’, and even getting that silly trampoline out that she always somehow drags up on that stage. She was truly amazing and unforgettable. There was something so refreshing about seeing a new artist preform in such a huge setting, although the crowd was quieter than it would become later in the night, she managed to make her time up their feel personal and memorable.
Zara Larson followed up, completely shifting the energy and getting everyone going. With her confidence and infectious energy, Larson was the perfect support for Lorde. From all the funny TikTok trends fans created and watching everyone attempt them with their friends, it was fascinating to watch everyone have the time of their lives in the hour Larson had. Larson had the crowd ready for what was to come, from her top hits recently being ‘Midnight Sun’ and ‘Lush Life’ leading her to do her famous trend where she picks someone in the crowd to do the TikTok dance alongside her on stage. The girl who was picked held a sign saying something along the lines of: “I crashed my car listening to lush life, can I be your lush girl?” A hilarious yet wholesome moment to Larson and all the audience.
As the clock struck nine, the wait was over after having the most amazing supports you could possibly have before Lorde, keeping the energy and vibes high even when there were hours until the main event. Lorde came on and opened with ‘Royals’. From the first note, the crowd was screaming every lyric no matter what.
The darkness outside with the moon beaming down so full and bright made the atmosphere even more special. It was truly an experience that everyone should be able to experience. There are no words to describe the amount of adrenaline you got from every single song that blasted through the field, no matter how close or how far away you were, it did not change anything.
From ‘Supercut’ to ‘The Louvre’ to ‘Greenlight’, not a single song failed to keep the crowd going. Nobody stopped jumping, everyone was feeling the music and the motions, especially during ‘Liability’ where she sang with her younger self projected onto her t-shirt, truly making it clear to us that it's okay to grow up and not to be scared because it all works out in the end. Lorde’s stage presence and every lyric of every song make that so much more bearable knowing that you’re never truly alone.
Every lyric makes sense, especially being a teenage girl who is growing up, and the harsh reality of becoming an adult is getting more and more real every day, and I think the entirety of the crowd truly felt every emotion in that hour and a half that Lorde electrified the stage. As she finished with ‘Ribs’, the crowd united. Everyone jumping together and dancing looking around and seeing people hugging, holding hands and being in the moment together with their best friends was beautiful.
Lorde was truly the most special experience and it was something to reminisce for years to come. Something to look back at on a cold winter night and wish you could go back to.