Featured image: Toast Press
If you ever want to enter a dreamlike state, go see Avalon Emerson. She exceeds expectations of the unknown, the bizarre and the outright psychedelic. For those who choose to immerse themselves, it’s only when they find themselves peering up at her illuminated silhouette that they realise the trance has already begun.
With her latest critically acclaimed album, Written into Changes, released on March 20, Emerson’s presence feels especially anticipated. As a DJ and experimentalist, she’s known for her eccentric, genre-bending style – but she’s more than a musician; she’s a magician, seamlessly blending electronic synths, techno, pop and touches of indie.
A mixed-age crowd gathers in YES Pink Room, distinct in nature but united in purpose. Emerson’s entrance is bold and magnetic: she emerges through flickering lights, arms held high, greeted by a swell of claps and cheers.
Opening with ‘How Dare This Beer’, from her most recent album, she immediately wins over the dimly lit room, where silhouettes of heads and arms bob up and down. The track establishes her signature style as it combines indie-electronic synths with a somewhat playful and quirky edge, instantaneously capturing the audience in a hypnotic state.
“This is the second night of the tour,” Emerson tells the beaming crowd. “We just came from Glasgow – I thought I would be more nervous!”
The set moves on at a brisk pace, each transition flowing into the next, while still maintaining a compelling sense of intimacy and intensity.
Drawing largely from Written into Changes, Emerson also weaves in tracks from her 2023 avant-pop album, & the Charm, including ‘A Vision’, ‘Karaoke Song’ and ‘Hot Evening’, each adding depth and variation to the set.
Her wife, Hunter Lombard, joins on guitar, beautifully layering indie textures into the set, creating a unique fusion of synth-pop, indie and techno. Their onstage chemistry is effortless and infectious, their shared smiles reflected across the crowd.
‘Written Into Changes’ stands out as a defining moment. Bathed in flickering magenta light, it builds before transitioning into pulsating beats, forging a hypnotic and potent moment.
This momentum continues through highlights like ‘Wooden Star’ and ‘Sandrail Silhouette Remix’, combining vivid rainbows of light with punching beats, ebbing and flowing throughout the crowd.
As the set winds down, the illusion gently lifts. Emerson perches at the front of the stage, chatting casually with eager fans, showcasing a down-to-earth nature that contrasts with the otherworldly performance.
Speaking to aAh!, she reflects on the night and her influences: “I really enjoyed playing tonight, a lot of the music from Manchester inspires my own.”
With an array of colour and a surreal, almost trippy effect, it’s clear that Avalon Emerson is not one to miss live.
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