Daði Freyr recently visited the O2 Academy in Bournemouth as part of the UK leg of his European tour aptly titled ‘I’m Doing a Tour Part 2’, presenting an energetic evening of electro-pop fun. The 2021 Icelandic Eurovision entrant brought his trademark charismatic stage presence and upbeat synth melodies, along with a giant inflatable recreation of his own face, to the south-coast on Friday, 24th November 2023.
But before he could get started, his wonderful support act Blusher, all the way from Melbourne/Naarm, set the stage alight with their own brand of high energy, dance music inspired alt-pop. Lauren, Jade and Miranda belted through tunes like “Limelight”, “Dead End” and “Hurricane Chaser”, with occasion forays into choreographed routines, especially during the more club-orientated breakdowns (especially in the latter).
The trio successfully pulled the crowd into each track performed, an impressive task when most would not have heard their stuff before, with many bouncing along to the infectious baselines, and potentially resonating with the Taylor Swift-esque sound permeating into the grand, theatre-based, Grade II listed building.
A particular highlight was the aforementioned “Softly Spoken”, which mixed all the previously mentioned pop-aspects with some rebellious on-stage megaphone action, highlighting the occasional alternative tones their music dips into.
Things then swiftly roll onto the main act of the evening, the tall Icelandic icon himself. Daði Freyr is unapologetic in his approach, honest about who is, cheeky, sometimes awkward, but a at his core, fun!
Regardless of the language any one song was sung in (mostly English, sometimes Icelandic, and once even German), the Bournemouth crowd lapped up every second. From his Eurovision entry “10 years”, to “Think About Things” and “I’m Fine”, his retro-funky style coupled with his high-energy stage presence kept everyone attending encapsulated in Mr Freyrs world, and what a lovely place that was to be in.
With the other two band members taking their own solo moments at points, and skilfully so, the clear musical talent this show contains was front and centre for all to see… something the remaining stops on this tour can certainly look forward to.
Daðis encore included fan-favourite cover “Whole Again”, his own spin on that Atomic Kitten track (that he recently performed during the interval of the 2023 Eurovision finals). The performance rounded out a great evening for all in attendance.
If you have any semblance of appreciation for good pop, seek out Daði and his music, you wont regret it…and if you can see him live, even better!
Words + Photography by Andrew Roast
