Johnny Orlando is in an enviable position. An artist who shot into the starlight in just 12 years old, a decade on and he will somehow just arrive at the most exciting moment of his career.
That is what is clear to see because the 22-year-old deals with an intimate garage audience for an hour and a half material old, new and unreleased. Orlando has a swagger about him and a huge grin on his face when he talks about his upcoming editions.
There are only some of the new tracks on the set list on Sunday evening, but they are the reason why Orlando has put on a handful of smaller exhibitions. He tells so much garage and admits that if they do not vibrate with a song it will be binous.
However, there is no risk of it. “That’s My Baby” comes first and has a brand Johnny Orlando Sound. It is a girl that the singer delivers with ease. Elsewhere, “her path” is a groovier number that is full of character and boundaries on sultry sometimes.
The two new highlights come in ‘Home’ and ‘oh’. The former is a cordial Ode to Canada, urged after meeting a compatriot in his new home in LA. “This is the second saddest song I’ve written,” he laughs – the first was “Coping (1621), which the star suffocates when I introduce. At the same time, ‘oh’ oh ‘a hell of a punch with its rocky affected production.
There is plenty of time for fan favorites as well. “Vegas” only came out last year but gets better over time and comes at the end of a relentless opening trio after “temptation” and “you are just drunk”. Viral hit ‘What if (I told you I like you)’ still gather back even though its acoustic revision and ‘see you’ is a bit brilliant captivating pop.
Orlando also nods to some of his favorite artists in two covers. The first a curve ball choice of Arctic Monkeys track ‘505’ and the second a simple victory with Chappell Roan Hit ‘Red Wine Supernova’. Johnny Orlando has the personality to make something work and it is a joy to see him so excited by having his best music still coming.
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