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.
Featured image and photography: Aaron Parsons / Press Haiden Henderson isn’t a name known to many in Manchester, but the Californian rockstar certainly made sure to leave a lasting impression. With sensual and sexy songs, Henderson really knows how to heat up a crowd in more ways than one. Unreleased track ‘Freak For You’ sets a…
Feature image: Press The Manchester Film Festival has wrapped its 12th edition, running over 11 days and showcasing a strong line-up of local and international talent from across the independent film industry. Festival director Neil Jeram-Croft reflected on this year’s programme, filled with a mix of features, shorts and documentaries spanning the cities’ cinema hotspots:…
Featured image: Press Toots and the Maytals return to Manchester for their ‘Reggae Got Soul’ 50th anniversary tour. Following their hugely successful 2025 tour, Toots and the Maytals return to Manchester celebrate the 50th anniversary of their landmark album, Reggae Got Soul. Fronted for decades by Frederick ‘Toots’ Hibbert – named by Rolling Stone among…
Featured image: Press Manchester Film Festival returned to Aviva Studios for its 12th edition, opening to a full house and setting the tone for an 11-day programme of screenings, premieres and industry events. The festival launched with a double-bill: Psychopomp, the directorial debut of Game of Thrones star Kit Harington, followed by Jan Komasa’s latest feature Good…
Leave a reply