At the beginning of 2020, right before the world momentarily ended, I drove for about eight hours down the state of California, just to see Alexander 23’s first ever headline show. I was absolutely exhausted, sleep deprived and starving, standing at the Moroccan Lounge and praying that the opener would come out soon and play for as short a time as possible so I could finally go eat and go to bed—little did I know that the opener whose music I would be discovering for the first time would be Blake Rose, an artist I actively still listen to to this day.
The Australian-born, and currently LA-based, singer-songwriter is now one of those artists that I can’t help but wholeheartedly support, hoping that one day they’ll have their big break so I can say “I knew their music before anybody else!!!” I even surprised myself by actually knowing by heart one of his songs when I saw him four years ago—I remember looking up his name on my liked songs and finding his second single ever “Lost” already saved, a track that remains his most streamed to date.
All of this is to say that once I found out Blake was going to be playing my city, I knew that I had to be there. With three EPs out, and over a million monthly listeners on Spotify, the 26-year-old finally decided to embark on his own North American headlining tour, revisiting some of his biggest hits, as well as new songs from his 2024 EP Suddenly Okay.
The night was promising even before he took to the stage though—to warm up the crowd, “Love Story” by Taylor Swift and “Steal My Girl” by One Direction came on the speakers and had everyone at Velvet Underground singing along. Blake began his set with “Rollerblades” from his EP A World Gone By (2021), followed by some newer songs from his 2021 and 2023 projects, A World Gone By and You’ll Get It When You’re Older respectively, before moving onto one of his first releases, “Heavy Shit.” Originally from Perth, Blake’s accent made me feel like I was sixteen again watching 5 Seconds of Summer live—which, to clarify, is an experience I am always grateful to relive—and it was evident that his Aussie charisma is part of the appeal he brings onto the stage. With his light and quirky comments, he had the audience giggling in between songs, turning the already intimate venue into an even warmer place.
Halfway through the night, when introducing his song “Movie,” Blake told the crowd about a girl that he was seeing for about a month, and that he struggled to move on from for six more months after, “so a pretty good ratio,” he joked. Funnily enough, the song after that one was the breakup song that I was especially looking forward to: “Ordinary People.” I am currently on month #2 of the six months that it will take me to move on from someone I also saw for about a month (this is my review, and I can and will overshare)! and that song just hits way too hard when you’re a hopeless romantic like myself.
Another one of my favorite Blake Rose songs ever will forever be “Gone,” and apparently it is his and a lot of other fans’ favorite too, because it became one of the most special moments of the night. Performing a stripped down version, Blake stood in the middle of the crowd with an unplugged guitar and no microphone. And although the original idea was for him to sing the song in a quiet room, the audience inevitably started to softly sing along, which made up for one of the cutest scenes I’ve seen at any concert. Even Blake was surprised by it as he admitted on an Instagram story later that night.
He closed off the night strong, playing the fan favorite “Lost,” and finished without an encore, probably because he truly did not need one. After the show, and most likely against the venue’s security guards wishes, he came out to say hi to every single person that stayed to greet him—including me! (Yes, I embarrassed myself as usual <3) Which just shows the kind of artist that he strives to be, someone who’s still humble and happy to interact with those that show up to support him.
As some may know, I am a sucker for full circle moments, and this one was definitely one of those. I have followed Blake’s journey for about half a decade now, and unlike some of the artists that get lost along the way, Blake’s brilliance has only gotten brighter, he seems to actively be polishing his sound towards something unique and very much his own. This being his first headline tour definitely marks a before and after, and it shows the potential he has to keep growing and sharing his music around the world, and I’m so happy I’ve gotten to see it all.
Blake’s tour continues through May 8, concluding with a show in San Diego.
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