Review

Review

Carly Rae Jepsen has the crowd in her hands in London

It was back-to-back bangers and euphoria as the Canadian star took to Alexandra Palace

Carly Rae Jepsen has long stood at a curious intersection of pop. On the one hand, the Canadian singer followed the well-trodden TV talent show route before releasing a Diamond-certified megahit to set up her career. And yet, her following is often considered ‘cult’; working with the likes of Ariel Rechtshaid and Dev Hynes (Blood Orange), she successfully tapped into the sound of the 80s resurgence. If anyone defines ‘mindie‘ (mainstream and indie), it’s her.

That Jepsen could casually drop ‘Call Me Maybe’ – said megahit that once futilely threatened one-hit-wonder status – eight songs into an hour-and-a-half set at Alexandra Palace last night is a testament to how effectively she has kept the different sides of her appeal in check. “You have to sing along with this one,” she says, “it’s kind of the law”.

The audience itself is a shining example of this diversity; bearded men in beanies, teenage girls and their parents, scantily clad groups of friends forgetting it’s only Wednesday… All singing along unapologetically to the syrupy sweet hits from “Boy Problems” to “I Really Like You”.

CRJ has them all in her hands as she teased every other track with either hype (“Are you ready to run away with me?”) or context, admitting the subject of ‘Julien’ turned out to be a d*ck, or that ‘Bends’ was written with family members in mourning. Emotionally wrought moments such as the latter and the breezy ‘Western Wind’ cleanse the palate of some of Jepsen’s more saccharine numbers, but the vibe is lifted during the 80s synth pop bangers from Emotion, as she puts her neon pink leotard to work.

The decision is apparently ours to pick between ‘Cry’ and ‘Your Type’ from the record, and while the pulsing drive of the former would have been especially cinematic in this palace, the crowd has spoken.

A costume change and an encore later, the height of the party is left until the end for out-and-out contagious pop belters ‘Beach House’ and ‘Cut To The Feeling’. Confetti cannons were hardly in short supply, but this closer was the biggest euphoric blast of the night.