Opening for Nxdia’s first headline tour was Nottingham-based GIRLBAND!. Not afraid of an extended instrumental, the band’s musicality was at the forefront of the set, scattered with guitar solos throughout. Lit up by blue lights, effervescent harmonies of Georgie and Kay fuelled ‘Right On Time’. “We need to protect the dolls”, Georgie cried before diving into ‘21st Century Suffragette’. Closing their set with ‘Not Like The Rest’, the band's appreciation for the audience was evident “, thank you so much for the energy”.
The now tightly packed crowd thrummed with excitement for Nxdia as My Chemical Romance’s ‘Teenagers’ soundtracked drummer Georgia Winter and guitarist Thea Mercado’s entrance on stage. The angst of ‘Boo, Nevermind’ immediately presented the duality of the Egyptian-Sudanese artist, in a rockstar-esque fur collared leather coat, whilst gleefully grinning and waving at their audience. This may only be their second headline show in London, but the audience’s energy did not give this away as hundreds shouted “You say you’re above it / but you love it / three drinks down now f*ck it”.
“This is beautiful”, Nxdia joyfully shared after guitar-driven ‘Jennifer’s Body’, before 2023’s moodier ‘Dopamine’. Cutting the crowd in two, The Garage became a catwalk for the immaculate outfits of the night, shirts, ties, lace and clown makeup. ‘Boy Clothes’ was gender euphoria packaged in three minutes of gritty rock extravagance. An artist full of introspective and personal lyricism, ‘OUCH’ told the story of a friendship breakup; “This was a lesson I could’ve lived without”.
Balancing an energetic set, with a passion for getting their close-knit fan base involved, anthem for the neurodivergents, ‘Nothing At All’ was preceded by a game of “fun fact or head empty”, Nxdia’s tour perhaps the only concert to feature snail facts and queer anthems. As the audience sang along with ‘idc’ Nxdia humbly responded, “I can’t believe you know it…it’s so fucking special”. “Free Palestine, Free Sudan, Free Congo”, they shouted before ‘decay’, a song initially written around the cost of living crisis, now even more relevant, as Nxdia’s anger towards the “pathetic” government poured through under the green, white, and red onstage lights.
Heart-wrenching and unreleased ‘Ambulance’ saw Nxdia come into the middle of the crowd, surrounded by fans with tear-filled eyes. A moment of extraordinary vulnerability and lyrical storytelling of their parents' car crash; “I don’t wanna be in a world you’re not in”. After a moment's breath, the mood lifted with his highly-anticipated cover of Sombr’s ‘Undressed’, mashed up with Goyte’s ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’. A song for the avoidant, ‘Tin Man’, was followed by unreleased ‘All For The Better’, with many fans already knowing the words.
The Garage lit up with rainbow lights, Nxdia cheekily introduced the next song, "I suspect some of you might be girl kissers, so this one’s for you", no prizes for which Katy Perry anthem followed, as Nxdia brought a rock edge to ‘I Kissed a Girl’. Sexy and animated ‘Body On Me’ was followed by viral track, ‘She Likes A Boy’. Going down to the barrier for a group hug after ‘More!’, Nxdia closed the last UK date of the ‘I Promise I’m Watching Tour’ with infectious and introspective ‘Feel Anything’; “I wrote this when I was alone, but I don’t really feel alone in this room tonight, so thank you”.
Maisy Neale
Photos: Finn Delisle
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