Melanie Martinez
28th January 2024
Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand
Review by Sarah Kidd with photography by Doug Peters.
The ‘cry babies’ were out in force last night for Melanie Martinez and their highly anticipated ‘Portals’ tour which was nothing short of an absolute feast for the eyes, ears and soul of not only the fans but anyone who appreciates art.
Spark Arena was transformed by thousands of attendees ranging from those who looked like they belonged in the fairy realm, complete with pointed ears and glittery taffeta skirts, to gothic queens with trains of lace. Not often does one witness an audience with such diverse self-expression in one area, and in all honesty, it was quite heart warming to see and in many ways a testament to what the artist had awoken in them.
Opening proceedings for the evening was fellow American UPSAHL who gave it their absolute all in ensuring the crowd was as hyped as possible. Having released their debut album Lady Jesus, they have quickly earned a reputation as one of the new voices to watch in the pop scene, being compared to such royalty as Tove Lo; unsurprising really for a young singer who already holds writing credits for artists such as Dua Lipa, Anne Marie and Little Mix.
Using the entire space to their advantage, UPSAHL dropped catchy tune ‘Drugs’ while working the front rows and encouraging them to scream at every available opportunity, ‘Antsy’ seeing many holding their phone lights high in the air upon request.
“The only thing I want you to do for the rest of this set is dance Auckland!” UPSAHL declared to the throngs before her, and dance they did as ‘Sad Sorry After Party’ and final song of the set ‘Lunatic’ that saw UPSAHL descend down to the front row to dance with them, brought the energetic and at some points almost frenetic set to a close.
As the advertised set time of eight thirty approached, the crowd grew restless for the arrival of their beloved Martinez, the slightest pause between the house music seeing a giant collective breath held and then released in slight disappointment as the stage remained dark. When the lights finally dropped a few minutes later, ear piercing shrieks of delight reverberated throughout the arena, an animation of a giant chamberstick floating in mid-air – reminiscent of beauty and the beast – illuminating those in the front row.
Within seconds the stage came to life, and it was almost difficult to decide where to look first. A four-piece live band, costumed to match the set lined the back row, one member holding a double bass, another a theremin (not an instrument often seen at a pop show) were soon joined by four incredible dancers in muted colours that reminded one of the forest floors. And then there was Martinez…
Dressed in a body suit that featured a full head piece with two sets of eyes that made them look like a fantastical cross between alien and fae, Martinez and co wasted no time as they leaped straight into opener ‘DEATH’, the explosive combination of exaggerated dance moves, lights and live band almost bringing the audience to a standstill as they drank it all in.
Some may argue that with a highly choreographed show such as this, that the element of spontaneity and rawness may be lost, but what was presented to Tāmaki Makaurau last night was art, theatre and self-expression. This was the telling of the trials and tribulations that Martinez has faced over the last few years since their humble beginnings, their musical journey through the likes of The Voice where they first gained notoriety to where they are today as an artist who is now comfortable in their own skin and who they are as a person. A rebirth as such. And their followers were here for it.
The set list predominantly followed the Portals album track listing, the fans, despite knowing exactly what was coming up due to previous set lists on tour, welcoming each song with fevered celebration and heartfelt singing of each and every word. It is something quite awe-inspiring to watch, the sheer hysteria that was elicited something that has been seen time and time again throughout the history of music, from The Beatles through to today with artists such as Taylor Swift.
‘FAERIE SOIRÉE’ soon saw inflatable white mushrooms grow on each side of the stage, while ‘SPIDER WEB’ saw Martinez’s incredible dancers very swiftly and rather cleverly string a giant spider web across the stage which when illuminated in red gave it wonderfully dark undertones.
‘BATTLE OF THE LARYNX’ another highlight of the night, displayed visuals of a dragon who appeared to be intent on destroying what was before it with its fiery breath but who in the end was defeated, the song itself written about conflict styles and not letting one’s voice be silenced or dominated by another. Followed fittingly by ‘THE CONTORTIONIST’ which saw their dancers bend in incredible ways complete with overlaid cracking sounds, the song which is all about bending over backwards for someone who refuses to accept you the way you truly are, is both a cautionary tale and uplifting message to the youth of today. Be you, be unapologetically you.
During all of this, Martinez never stopped working the room, often making their way down to the edge and holding the mic out to the front rows encouraging them to sing along to their hearts content, showing that this show was as much theirs as it was the artists. Some have criticised the use of backing tracks but considering that Martinez spends the entire show in costume while dancing this is a completely moot point, especially during songs such as ‘LIGHT SHOWER’ where their vocals were crystal clear and on point.
The fantastical combination of ‘EVIL’ which saw heavier metal beats and guitar infiltrate the track and ‘WOMB’ brought the set to a close, confetti cannons showering those in the GA section with thousands of paper butterflies. But the masses remained locked to the stage for they knew that Martinez would return with a trio of songs that they were itching to hear. And return they did, ‘Play Date’, ‘Show & Tell’ and ‘Mad Hatter’ from the albums Cry Baby and K-12 respectively seeing the entire arena explode into song.
Addressing everyone present, Martinez advised that before they played their last song, they wanted to thank each and every person for attending, and while the audience cheered there was also a bolt of electricity running through them. Martinez had just confirmed that they would be playing another track, and this was not something that they had expected.
‘MILK OF THE SIREN’ was the perfect combination of metal and sea shanty, mermaids dashing across the screen as Martinez and co gave it their all to end the show in style. Standing in the middle of the stage, Martinez raised a single arm high as their dancers simultaneously unfurled a pride transition flag and the national flag of Palestine, Martinez shouting “Free Palestine” before exiting.
This was not just another pop show, this was a statement, a call to arms as such; be who you are, express yourself, stand up for what you believe and never be silenced by those who may try to oppress you.
If this is the new face of pop music today, long may it continue.
Melanie Martinez:
Upsahl:
Were you there at Spark Arena for this magnificent alt-pop show? Or have you seen Melanie Martinez perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
- DEATH
- VOID
- TUNNEL VISION
- FAERIE SOIRÉE
- LIGHT SHOWER
- SPIDER WEB
- BATTLE OF THE LARYNX
- THE CONTORTIONIST
- MOON CYCLE
- NYMPHOLOGY
- EVIL
- WOMB
- Play Date [encore]
- Show & Tell [encore]
- Mad Hatter [encore]
- MILK OF THE SIREN [encore]
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