Arlo Parks’ Snowy Yet Enchanting Denver Show
Photo Cr: Catherine Garcia
Nothing would stop Arlo Parks' diehard fans from attending her concert — not even the heavy downpour of rain and snow the fans withstood. On March 13, Arlo Parks, a 23-year-old English singer-songwriter based in London, performed at her eighth stop on the My Soft Machine Tour in Denver, Colorado at The Ogden Theater. As fans quickly rolled into the venue, their smiles lifted the atmosphere, setting the scene for an exciting night to come. The Nigerian, Chadian, and French artist started pursuing music professionally in 2018 by uploading demos to BBC Music Introducing, catching the attention of radio personalities across the UK. Her stage name pulls inspiration from artists King Krule and Frank Ocean, and she debuted in late 2018 as a rhythmic indie pop artist with “Cola.”
Throughout the venue, fans of all ages and walks of life could be seen amongst the crowd. The show opened with Californian native Chloe George, who shared it was her first time in Denver, and expressed how much love she had for the city despite the cold. This being Chloe George’s first tour, she did not disappoint. Fans were enchanted by her smooth angelic voice from the minute she started performing, including hits like “Penny,” to the minute she walked off stage. Chloe had set the perfect transition to the evening’s headliner, creating synergy with the tone and style of Arlo Parks.
Photo Cr: Catherine Garcia
Setting the ambiance with moody blue lights and fog, Arlo’s band filled the stage. The shuffling of bandmates built up anticipation for Arlo’s appearance, which was welcomed by screaming fans. Arlo immediately jumped into her performance, with fans matching her energy. She let the audience know that she and her band had been looking forward to returning to Denver and the fans there. Continuing, Arlo performed songs such as “Blades” and “Caroline,” the latter of which had the crowd singing as loud as they could as Arlo held the microphone out to the crowd — they didn’t even miss a beat. Arlo then moved on to “I’m Sorry,” a song she deemed her secret favorite on the album, My Soft Machine. She explained that she has always been an emotional, but guarded person, and in the process of writing this song, she realized being alive is about the beauty and pain of it all.
Arlo addressed the fans letting them know the next song was about a love triangle with a mischievous gentleman. She paused and let the crowd scream the name of the song, “Eugene.” During the performance of this track, the guitarist Dani Diodato, had a solo that had the crowd going crazy. Arlo shared that her band has been with her since she was a teenager and introduced the remaining members: Sam Harding on the bass and James Fernandez on the drums. Arlo then performed “Pegasus,” famously performed with Phoebe Bridgers, followed by what Arlo deemed her most danceable yet sad song “Too Good.”
Photo Cr: Catherine Garcia
The mesmerizing night was coming to an end. Performing “Black Dog,” which she shared was written when she was in a lonely and dark space, Arlo stated she feels much more understood. “Hope,” her dad’s favorite song of hers followed after. Arlo’s fans were drunken by her music, as if in a world of their own, unbotheredly dancing and feeling the music. Arlo closed the night out with “Softly,” leaving the fans with an upbeat whimsy as they danced their way out of the venue still feeling intoxicated by Arlo’s performance and music.