Floating on a cloud of love with Alice Phoebe Lou

Friday, April 12, just before the latest round of rainfall would begin to kiss the streets of San Francisco, synth pop princess Alice Phoebe Lou delivered a heartfelt and cathartic set to an entranced audience at the Fillmore.

Pushing 9 o’clock, a lone figure drifted onto the stage—the long-haired, light-footed singer-songwriter herself. Eclipsing her given name Alice Matthew, the artist’s girlish nom de plume was befitting of her playful and ethereal presence. Wielding only an acoustic guitar, she commenced her performance with a stripped, yet brilliantly resonant, rendition of “Halo.” Though her set began solo, the artist produced an incredibly saturated sound on her own, with vocals reverberating throughout the room to envelop the crowd and touch every inch of skin. Interchanging her enthralling alto with a silkier falsetto, she wandered through the notes of each run, turning them over one by one with care. As a folkier twang entwined with the melody, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Joni Mitchell’s time-tested sound. Following this show, there is no doubt in my mind that the younger artist’s raw talent is sure to secure her a deserved place in history in the footsteps of such a beloved legend.

I was first introduced to Alice Phoebe Lou’s music by my close friend Nina, who accompanied me to Friday night’s show. The two of us met in our freshman year Chinese 1A class, and on 中秋节, or Mid-Autumn Festival, we set out on a moonlit campus to celebrate, Sheng Kee mooncakes in hand. While we nibbled on our fare, weighing the relative merits of red bean filling versus lotus paste and relishing the saltiness of the twin yolks within, we also traded song recommendations and frolicked on the grass of the Women’s Faculty Lounge garden. She told me that whenever she would make a new friend, she would record a video of them dancing to “Witches” together. Before the night was out, our freshly filmed video was archived in her jam-packed camera roll, where I am certain it remains to this day.

The harvest moon marked the beginning of my journey with Alice, and the concert felt especially auspicious following the solar eclipse that occurred last week. Magic was certainly in the air—one audience member repeatedly shouted that the artist was “an angel sent from heaven above,” and an enduring vibrant energy carried both concertgoers and band members through the evening. A few songs into the set, the singer remarked that “you guys really know how to show the love…making my cheeks all rosy and stuff.”

Matthew was candid about the band’s experience on the road throughout the set, stating that they were on their fourth show in as many days and that she was looking forward to an upcoming spa day and the rest and relaxation it would bring. But amid the stress of the tour, she remained grateful and optimistic about the show. “I’m a tired girl, but you guys brought out all the remaining energy in my body,” she said.

She certainly hit her target audience headlining a sold out show in the Bay Area for the third time, honoring the release of her latest album Shelter (2023). When she stepped away from the mic during the chorus of “Something Holy,” the crowd sang back to her as one, with waves of affection billowing towards the stage to crack a smile across her face. “I haven’t felt that volume of lyrics coming back at me in a long time,” Matthew observed appreciatively.

Matthew’s music can be as sensual as it is sweet, an experience that is empowered and reclamatory. The closing act of her set, “Dirty Mouth,” is an ode to body autonomy and feminine resistance against objectification: “I’ve got laser beams coming out my eyes/do you still really wanna mess with me?” she sang, impassioned and invigorated at the end of a show that had traversed five albums from her impressive discography. The singer was unapologetic about her limits and privacy, and that in itself lent her an element of poise and authenticity—though her stage banter was kind-hearted, she rightfully ignored the handful of hecklers vying for her attention. When individuals shouted out the songs they wanted to hear, she responded that she had not asked for their opinion. Honest with her audience, she warned that she could and would not deliver everything that we asked: “one way or another you’re all gonna leave disappointed, because there’s gonna be a song you really want to hear and I’m not going to play it,” she said. Indeed, I was sad that she didn’t perform “Lovesick,” which is among my favorites, but my respect for her could not be stronger. Alice Phoebe Lou is nothing short of a lover and fighter—and neither has ever looked better.

Article by Sophia Shen
Photos by Yansu Tan