A Bewitching Night With the Reviver of Jazz: Laufey

Girls in lacy skirts and dresses were standing next to their friends or partners in crewnecks, hair ribbons flowing in the Sunday night breeze. According to my friend William in the photo pit, this crowd had started gathering outside The Fillmore in San Francisco at 6:30 that morning, now wrapped around the block twice-over. What was the line for? Up and coming Icelandic jazz sensation Laufey, who just released her second album Bewitched (2023). 

By the time I got inside, singer-songwriter Adam Melchor was singing his first song, and I scrambled to get to the photo pit. His time was filled with funny anecdotes like how “JEWELS” ended up having a second verse about a rooster and how “Joyride” was somewhat inspired by his parents’ divorce and the old Chevy that stayed in their driveway forever. His set was acoustic, really stripping down his music to just his vocals and talent on the guitar. He continued his anecdotes that related to his songs through the breakup songs “itsjustmyheart (voice memo)” and “I Don’t Want To See You Cryin’ Anymore.” These included a sort of “revenge” of when his ex had tree fell on their car days after their breakup for “itsjustmyheart (voice memo),” to which the audience responded with a resounding cheer of “GOOD!” There were countless people in the crowd singing along to every word of his songs, dancing and swaying as he sang. Adam set the tone for the night perfectly, getting the audience excited for Laufey meanwhile demonstrating what makes him such an amazing artist himself. 

When I made my way back to the photo pit, I was able to chat with some of the fans who made it to the barricade — one being William, who I mentioned earlier. The dedication of fans, especially to an artist like Laufey who is working to help revive the jazz and classical scene with her music, was something great to see. As a fan myself, I chatted with him and some girls around him about what songs we hoped to see most (my picks being “Street by Street,” “California and Me,” “Above the Chinese Restaurant,” and “Let You Break My Heart Again”). Others around me echoed some of the same sentiments for “California and Me” and “Let You Break My Heart Again”, while also hoping for “Magnolia” and “While You Were Sleeping.”

The tone immediately shifted when classical music began pumping through the venue, and screams of excitement echoed throughout The Fillmore as fans realized that Laufey was most likely about to come on. As the classical music faded away, Laufey picked up an electric guitar and started her set with “Fragile,” from her debut album Everything I Know About Love (2022). There was a moment in which I froze in the photo pit, realizing that I was so close to an artist that I loved — especially since her music is what gets me through Orange Country and LA traffic for hours on end back at home. Taking pictures as I unashamedly sang along to “Fragile”, the energy inside of the room was enthralling, as every fan seemed to know every lyric by heart. There was a hint of pride in Laufey’s eyes as she introduced the entire thousand strong crowd to the Bewitched tour. The artist shyly admitted that she was “a bit phlegmy” but that it “added to the jazziness of it all, and was kind of sexy”. A trance seemed to fall over the audience as Laufey sang her next song, “Valentine,” also from Everything I Know About Love. From that moment on, the entire crowd was under Laufey’s spell, the artist truly “bewitching” us during her performance of  “Second Best” and “Dreamer,” from her newest release. 

From playing “Beautiful Stranger” on both the guitar and cello,“I Wish You Love” (also played on the cello), to an entire piano set, it seemed like there was no instrument that Laufey couldn’t conquer. The young artist was constantly surprising the audience with what she could do, as she played an entirely instrumental piece from Bewitched, “Nocturne (Interlude),” meanwhile frequently switching between the guitar and piano from song to song. The piano portion was probably my favorite part of the night, as she played the two songs I was most hoping to hear: “California and Me” and “Let You Break My Heart Again”. Admittedly, the piano set brought me to tears as I got to just bask in the moment, the only two things that mattered then being the music and me. As a huge jazz and classical listener and enthusiast, to be able to hear one of the artists that really brought me to love the genre live was an experience that I will never forget. 

Time stood still whenever there was a transition between various songs, an indescribable feeling that was only broken up by the shutter of my camera. When Laufey switched back to her guitar after the piano set, she played “Bewitched” and “Haunted,” two songs from her newer album that have only grown on me after she played them live. To wrap up her main set, Laufey played “Lovesick,” a song in which she had the audience split into two harmonies to become her little “choir of angels,” and TikTok staple “From The Start.” The two upbeat songs ended the set on a high note, a smile plastered all over my face as I sang all of the words that I could while capturing the moment with my camera.

Laufey’s encore began with a throwback to her first EP, Typical of Me. A song written about her best friend, “Magnolia” was heavily requested throughout the night, and was probably the song that was sung the loudest by the crowd. The artist finished the night out by welcoming Adam Melchor back on stage, proudly stating that the October evening marked the two year anniversary of the two’s collaboration on “Love Flew Away.” The two nervously explained that the last time they played the song, they messed up, but it was obvious from the way that the crowd reacted that there was no evidence of any flaws. “Love Flew Away” really captured the friendship between Melchor and Laufey, and was the perfect way to wrap up the evening. 

When I got home that night, I knew I had just experienced something like nothing else. As I sat, processing the night as I began to sort through the photos I had taken, the singer I attribute to the Revival of Jazz left me something else to remember the night by — liking not one, but two of my stories in which she was featured. The young Icelandic artist definitely bewitched me that Sunday night, and continues to do so every time I listen to her music. I am so grateful to have been able to be enchanted under the spell of Laufey, and I hope I am able to do so again someday. But until then, I’ll drink my coffee and eat my pie and pretend that I can relive that night at The Fillmore all over again. 

Article & Photos by Ashley Mauldin