LIVE REVIEW: Alex Lahey and Liza Anne – Dallas, TX 06/16/2023

Australian singer-songwriter Alex Lahey’s ‘Good Time Tour’ hit Dallas, TX on Saturday night to a comfortable yet energetic crowd. Following the release of her third studio album, The Answer Is Always Yes (2023), Lahey began touring the personal, alt-rock album alongside bandmates Matt Jennings (guitar), Genna Projansky (bassist), and Jess Ellwood (drummer). The small venue amplified Lahey’s introspective lyrics, seamless shift between emotions, and the surreal experiences that went into making the album.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beginning with ‘On The Way Down’ and ‘They Won’t Let Me In’, the crowd’s appreciation for Alex radiated throughout the small venue. Following up with fan favorite, “You’ll Never Get Your Money Back”, both the crowd and guitarist Matt Jennings jumped and danced around to the post-breakup track. Embracing the intense energy, Alex recounted several tour stories involving competitive karaoke, lockdown in Australia, and an unfortunate mishap involving the tour van.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moving through songs such as ‘Makes Me Sick’, ‘Congratulations’, and an acoustic performance of ‘Permanent’, Lahey finally arrived to her album’s title track. Before diving into the warm, indie landscape, Alex told the audience: “If you don’t say yes then the show is over.” Gently fans swayed while softly echoing the bittersweet lyrics. Lahey then plays the final song, “I Haven’t Been Taking Care of Myself” from her 2017 album, ‘I Love You Like a Brother’. The show left everyone in the crowd with the sense that they’ll all meet again and come together the same way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supporting the North American leg of the tour, indie artist Liza Anne immediately grasped the audience’s attention from the moment they stepped on stage. They opened the show with tracks ‘This Chaos, That Feeling’, ‘I Shouldn’t Ghost My Therapist’, and ‘Bummer Days’ from their most recent album, Bad Vacation (2020). When acknowledging the emotional shift of their setlist, Liza Anne expressed how people “never realize how heavy joy is until you feel its opposite.” Ultimately creating a more vulnerable space for the audience, Liza Anne picked up the mood (and pom poms) with their recent art-pop single, ‘Cheerleader’. Leaving the crowd buzzing with excitement, Liza Anne’s playful lyrics and joyful personality charmed the everyone in the venue.