Photographs by Sarah Rix.
Rising electro-pop sensation Years and Years kicked off their North American tour in our lovely city on September 14, 2015. The London trio has quickly become a fan favorite thanks to their charismatic front man, Olly Alexander and their synth soaked jams.
Before Years & Years hit the stage, fellow electro-pop artist Tei Shi (aka Valerie Teciher) graced us with her lush vocals. It was her first night opening for the group and she definitely wowed the crowd. The Argentina-born singer and her band kept the audience on their toes as they danced to the sultry indie-pop tunes from Tei Shi’s debut EP Saudade. She closed out with “Basically” which reinforced her role as the ‘one to watch’ for this year.
Years and Years performed to a sold out crowd at the Danforth Music Hall on Monday evening. The moment the group appeared on stage, the crowd went wild especially for the charming singer Olly. They started out by playing “Foundation”, a slower track that showcase Olly’s soft vocal style. Afterwards the audience was treated to the group’s soulful synth pop singles that cement their status with music fans worldwide. “Take Shelter”, “Desire” and “Shine” had the crowd singing every word and dancing to each beat. At times, Olly dances around the stage with euphoric abandon that made his young fans swoon.
At times, you will notice Olly’s vocals are not always as strong as it is on record. However, he delivers his vocals with emotion, passion and precision, which was seen while performing “Eyes Shut”, or “Without”. It’s a good thing that he has backing vocalists to help make the sound become more fuller over his soft and gentle tone. Throughout the night, Years & Years brought the house down with their infectious onstage energy and other anthemic songs from their full-length debut, Communication. Their set ended with their smash hit, “King”.
In such a short time, Years and Years has become extremely popular. Their live shows will have you walking away in awe of their talent. And it’s only matter of time before they reach worldwide pop royalty.
