Review
Review
Live Review: Madi Diaz at Bush Hall, 12/10/23
Fresh from announcing an upcoming album, Madi Diaz delivered an otherworldly performance
Dubbed by Diaz herself as “one of my favourite shows ever,” the US musician’s first-ever headline show in London was something to behold. In a venue where you can hear chatter from your neighbour and shakes in the floorboards, Diaz’s ability to capture the undivided attention of the 350-strong crowd was borderline magic to watch.
It seemed that the immense adoration from fans took her off guard when she first took to the stage. She picked out familiar faces in the audience, accepted friendship bracelets from the front row and was even gifted two bouquets. She commented on her surprise at hearing every lyric sung back to her before warning fans that if the love continued, the tears would flow.
For lovers of the 2021 album History Of A Feeling Diaz, and her long-time collaborator Adam Popick, performed songs arguably even better than the studio renditions – and did so, for the most part, with just guitar, drums and harmonies. The duo effortlessly built the backbone to so many tracks, both acoustic and rock-infused, to the point that it felt like a whole band could have been on the stage.
Big Spotify sensations ‘Resentment’, ‘New Person, Old Place’ and ‘Do It Now’ were hair-raising – and a special mention goes to the creative chemistry between Diaz and Popick. From their non-verbal communication on stage to their clear appreciation for one another’s craft, it only added to the show’s warm and welcoming atmosphere. The singer-songwriter even went as far as saying that she would have come undone completely if he wasn’t accompanying her.
The power of Diaz’s singing voice, although obvious throughout her discography, is even more striking in person. Calling for silence whenever her delicate falsetto rang out, she still had everyone drum-rolling their feet as soon as she catapulted into her astoundingly high and unwaveringly strong belt. To see her do it all up close in an old dance hall, no less, made it all the more enchanting.
She ended the gig on the perfect note – ushering in her next era with an encore of the two-day-old song ‘Same Risk’. The lead single from her upcoming album Weird Faith was performed live for the very first time, leaving everyone in the room desperately excited for February 9, 2024.