First to take the stage was Oh Dear who, with just three singles available on Spotify, were able to draw in a sizeable crowd and create a great atmosphere for the eager Alfie Templeman fans who arrived as doors opened with the aim of getting that perfect front row spot at the O2 Academy. Oh Dear’s familiar synth-pop sound set the precedent for what would be a fantastic night of upbeat, guitar-led, toe-tapping tunes.
Next to take the stage were L’objectif; a Leeds-based indie rock four-piece who, much like Oh Dear, were a great fit for the mellow moon tour. Leaning more into the rockier end of the indie genre, L’objectif were well received and clearly had their own fanbase in the audience as songs such as ‘drive in mind’ and their most recent release ‘The Dance You Sell’ had their audience singing and dancing along.
Soon enough, Alfie Templeman took to the stage and jumped straight in with his opening track from ‘Mellow Moon’, A western. As expected, the crowd was fully immersed from the start and hung onto every note from the moment he stepped on stage. Templeman mentioned within his first few tracks that it was his first headline show in Liverpool but, from playing as a support act for alt-rock favourite Sports Team previously, he knew to expect great things from fans in the city.
The setlist, though largely centred around his newest album release, included many tracks from his mini-album ‘Forever Isn’t Long Enough’ and 2020 EP ‘Happiness In Liquid Form’. In in the middle of the set, Templeman asked fans if they wanted to hear a new track which would be titled ‘Eyes Wide Shut’. The track was greatly received and had a catchy hook which would have fans singing along by the final chorus as if they’d heard the song a thousand times already. Though no release date was given, this is one that will be highly anticipated by fans that had the privilege to hear it on this tour.
Another thing that had fans completely in awe, was Templeman’s ability to go from being frontman to lead guitarist with great ease. In the track ‘Colour Me Blue’ from his latest album, Templeman took centre stage to play the guitar riffs so seamlessly while still delivering powerful vocals and completely controlling the crowd in front of him.
The whole band had a great awareness of the crowd in front of them: The bassist asked about a fans well-being after a security intervention during a song in the middle of the set, one fan got a shout-out for wearing a banana costume and finally the whole band gathered in front of a fan's phone to take a BeReal, as users off the popular social media app received their notification during the show. This moment was particularly well received by the crowd as many people had opted to shoot their BeReal during the show.
All in all, the 'Mellow Moon' tour was a great reflection of Alfie Templeman’s performance and writing ability and his international fans are in for a treat as his tour continues into 2023.
Shannon Gillespie
@shannongillespie / @
Images: ‘Mellow Moon’ Official Album Cover
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