Dua Lipa exploded with a sensational show and cemented her current reign as a global Pop phenomenon and riding the highest peaks.
This is her Radical Optimism tour, which commenced in the UK and Europe last year.
The Arena looked like a sell-out. Seemed like they had bussed in whole primary schools of children. That makes for a vivacious and all-accepting atmosphere.
Celebrate Good Times the over-arching theme. This would be the loudest screaming show I have witnessed. Euphoria at fever pitch as the lights dim.
Extended sequence of thunderous rolling waves projected on the backscreen, as they become mountainous and appear to engulf the stage.
Roaring waves segue into opening song Training Season. Another wave of deafening screams.
Are you someone that I can give my heart to/ Or just the poison that I’m drawn to.
Performing with a large troupe of professional dancers, all an extension of herself as she maintains the controlling presence.
End Of an Era, the opening song from the Radical Optimism album, is bottom-heavy with deep bass drops and extends out to be a be a perfect mix of House with the exuberance of Indie Pop.
She has a contralto voice and can sing in a slighter deeper register. I would like to compare her to Madonna in her peak period, but Lipa has a stronger presence, towards a vocalist like Lady Gaga.
Break My Heart. Pile-driving beats and this is the closest to old-school disco for the night.
Dua Lipa was born in London, but her family have Albanian and Kosovo roots. She has a charming London accent, and she is also fluent in the Albanian language.
She started singing aged five, so she is a prodigy.
Lipa is a fashion icon, model and an actress, but she also carries the banner of activism. Very much around her own Eastern European historical roots and for feminist power.
Her music is deeply rooted in Dance but from that she also acknowledges R’n’B, Soul, torch song sophisticated Pop and possibly a whiff of Jazz. Which underpins a lot of those other styles anyway in the same way the Sixties Motown did.
Electricity is one stand-out. Perfect Pop Gospel and testifies emotionally. The uninhibited Pentecostal and Southern Black American churches and their continual evolution through Rock’n’roll.
The devil has all the best music.
The visuals are stunning throughout and have the polish of a sophisticated editing suite.
Thundering horses galloping endlessly across the stage, a great complex drum intro sets the tone for another Pop banger Falling Forever.
Physical is masterful around what can only be described as sexy aerobics.
Halfway through the show and she pulls out a superlative version of Lorde’s Royals. Captures the spectral nature and shuddering rhythms of this classic Pop song. Her phrasing gives it an ominous tone.
Maria. A sole trumpet heralds from a backing track. Everyone is out on the large apron, but a single female dancer performs on the high bridge of the main stage in tribal fashion.
The Arena become awash with a solar eclipse visual as Lipa extends out with a soulful dramatic interpretation.
Sounds like her personal favourite and a showcase for a Soul Pop highlight is Be the One.
The show climaxes with Houdini, already a classic from Radical Optimism which debuted at number one of the album charts.
Dua Lipa is riding high as the global Queen of Pop. Everyone adores her.
Rev. Orange Peel
Photography by Jennifer De Koning
Dua Lipa
