Lola Young is a rising British singer-songwriter known for her unique blend of soulful pop, R&B and jazz influences. Her ability to be so authentic and raw through her music is what makes her stand out in today’s music scene. Her song ‘Messy’ has got a lot of attention on TikTok and throughout the media recently, described as an “ADHD anthem”. The song seems to have resonated with people in toxic relationships with narcissistic partners, while also giving insight into how people may feel about themselves, where they are in the constant battle of feeling not enough. I have screamed the lyrics to that song in my car, crying, many-a-times, so I was incredibly excited to see it live.

I walked into Max Watts at 7pm, to be met with a crowd of Doc Martens, mullets and septum piercings. To be expected, Lola Young attracts the Naarm Queens and Kings, who 100 percent have the TikTok application downloaded on their phones. The vibe of the room felt automatically accepting and supportive, like everyone there could come up and hug you. And suddenly, I am not feeling the least bit lonely, despite coming to the gig on my own devices.

The show opened with artist Aziya, an indie-alt artist based in London. She humbly came on stage with just her bass guitar and this deep silky voice – the crowd completely enamoured by her. Her song ‘Atomic’ was my favourite, the gritty bass guitar chords really got me groovin’. Definitely an up-and-coming artist in the alternative scene to look out for.

Anticipation swelled through the crowd as the stage changed to ominous red lighting, Young’s signature colour. She came on stage, almost mischievously, with a red furry bucket hat, the chords of ‘Conceited’ acting as the instrumental backdrop. The crowd roared, already absorbed in the chorus before she abruptly stopped, her raspy voice greeting the audience with “What the fuck is up Melbourne!”.

Young throws us straight to the deep end, addressing the audience in her cockney accent; “This song is about how relationships are fucking stupid, and how love is fucking stupid – it’s just dumb. But more importantly, it’s about letting go of someone you love and how hard that is”. And then she started to sing ‘You Noticed’ with the most soulful, deep voice that you could feel under the depths of your skin. And there I was, sobbing my eyes out at Max Watts, staring at the stage in awe. It got to the point where I was quite literally heaving because it was so emotional. I looked amongst the crowd, and saw myself mirror mothers and daughters comforting each other through it. I even heard someone next to me say, “I just processed several years of childhood trauma” whilst hugging their friend. It came to a point where Lola couldn’t even finish the song because she, too, was crying.

What I noticed about Young is how unapologetic she is, it makes her so magnetic and captivating to watch. You can see the passion literally ooze out of her when she sings, allowing her audience to connect with her on such a deep emotional level.

‘Wish You Were Dead’ was followed by ‘Conceited’, two rage fuelled songs, which are both groove driven anthems with Young’s signature gut-wrenching lyrics. I was screaming the lyrics to both, subconsciously gesticulating to the lyrics, as I was captivated by Lola sashaying around stage, effortlessly belting high notes. She’s got this uninhibited stage presence that is contagious, you can fully let go without the sensation of feeling judged whatsoever.

Then of course, Young finished with ‘Messy’. The crowd roared. Every beat, every syllable in that song shook me to my core. You best believe I was screaming uncontrollably as the audience erupted the lyrics back to her; “I want to be me, is that not allowed?”.

Lola Young’s concert felt like coming out of an intense therapy session, with that heart-heavy feeling you get after leaving the therapist's office. But not in a draining sort of way, rather in a cathartic sort of way. That bitter-sweet feeling of processing an emotion that you have been holding onto. It was such an incredibly resonant performance, I left the venue feeling so empowered. Lola Young, I love you, thank you for being the voice for the sad Gen Z-ers, you are doing God’s work.