Reflections of an Ageing Gig Goer 10

Lola Young and Annabelle Dinda O2 Brixton Academy June 18 2026

The return of Lola Young was an eagerly awaited event and my daughter was over the moon when I managed to secure tickets after refreshing numerous times! I really enjoyed her music because of the humour and the determination to be authentically herself. She is perhaps the most individual of today’s singers, marching to the beat of her own drum and no one else’s. So, would she command the stage the way she commands the zeitgeist?

Before Lola herself took to the stage, it was the opportunity for Annabelle Dinda to make an impact and some new fans. She is an American singer songwriter who I immediately took to when she bounced onto the stage. An absolute ball of energy, you couldn’t help but be impressed with her. Dinda has one of the sunniest and most appealing stage personas I have ever seen. Her bubbly enthusiasm was genuine and completely contagious. That would have been enough to make her a good support act, but what made her one of the best support acts I’ve ever seen was the quality of her songs and the quality of her voice. There were two standout songs, in a high quality six song set, The Hand and Whatever You Wanna. The Hand takes a wry look at a patriarchal world which foregrounds men whatever they do and pushes women into the shadows. Whatever You Wanna is, by contrast, a song revelling in the excitement of a new relationship. It’s funny, catchy and totally irresistible especially live, where Dinda’s band lifted it to the level of an anthem. Her voice swooped and soared, with a style all her own. However, I heard echoes of Siouxsie Sioux and Kate Bush as well as hints of Joni Mitchell. For such a young artist she has such a range and she has a huge future as well. By the end of her set, the entire audience was enjoying her songs and I am sure I am not the only fan she won last week. If I get another chance to see her I will take it, and I absolutely recommend that you do the same.

When Lola Young appeared on stage the entire audience rose to applaud before she had even sung a note. She was obviously moved and later mentioned that she wasn’t sure whether anyone would buy tickets to see her after her enforced hiatus. Well, the audience didn’t agree with that at all, having gone all out to get the precious seats on Ticketmaster and they were totally behind her from the very first song.

Young started as she meant to go on with three superb songs from her latest album ‘I’m only F***ing Myself’ which is, in my view a modern masterpiece. It won’t be a surprise to anyone who has heard the album that SAD SOB STORY! 🙂 and d£aler had the audience singing backing vocals as they were to do throughout. In fact I have heard very few crowds as word perfect as this one. Over three quarters of the audience around me were singing every song for the entire night. The third song One Thing just confirmed how much her fans have taken the album to their hearts. Conceited and Big Brown Eyes from the album This Wasn’t Meant for You Anyway were a reminder of how good that whole album was.

The next two songs were an impromptu decision by Young to take a turn at the keyboard and she played it superbly, but that’s not what really struck me. It was the quality of the vocals on the ballad Bad Game 3am. I have been going to concerts since I was 13, which is more years ago than I like to admit (!) and this song confirmed what I had thought from the beginning of the set, that her voice is in the top 3 of any I have ever heard live. I genuinely can’t explain how awestruck I was by her voice all night across a huge range of songs, but this and SPIDERS, a spine tingling and unsettling song from her latest album, were up with anything I had ever experienced. Before SPIDERS there were three great songs, Walk On By, not a cover of the 60s classic, but her own song, and two more from the current album, why do I feel better when I hurt you and Post Sex Clarity. Young’s lyrics are very funny at times,  deeply upsetting at others, confronting and uncompromising throughout and in songs like these, almost painful in their rawness.

The final song prior to the inevitable encore is my absolute favourite of hers. The funny and defiant Not Like That Anymore is one of the best songs of the last few years, and live it turned into the biggest singalong of the night for me as I had been listening to it on repeat that afternoon! It’s irresistibly catchy and as good as it gets. The finale was, of course, Messy, the song that announced her on the music scene across the world. There are only a few songs which break through and become familiar to just about everyone and Messy is one of them, but live it just hits new heights as the audience belts out every word and reaches the heights of ecstasy in the chorus.

Before I came to this gig I thought Lola Young was one of the best artists of the 2020s. After the gig I came to the conclusion that she is actually a generational talent who can compare to just about any of the great performers who you might care to mention. If anyone tells you that music isn’t any good anymore, they clearly haven’t heard London’s finest singer.