FROM THE FRONT ROW
// Joji // Ballads 1 Tour // Heaven (London) // 12-12-18 //
I’d waited months for this show to come around, so it’s fair to say it was a much anticipated one. It was my first time attending a gig at Heaven, an underground venue which is usually a gay club. However tonight, instead of groups of people who knew how to party, the venue was filled with a crowd mainly made up of cringeworthy teenagers who did not know how to behave in a concert environment, shouting out references to Joji’s past characters Filthy Frank and Pink Guy. To be fair there was not much else to do whilst we waited over 2 hours for Joji to come on stage, with even his support DJ seemingly running late. On top of the second-hand embarrassment, there was not much time to get into the show, as it seemed to be over just as it had begun.
Poor organisation of this gig lead to this being one of my least favourite concert experiences, despite Joji’s crowd interactions, including a slideshow presentation of his Europe trip which gave the squashed crowd a much needed breather from loudly singing along and attempting to get both feet off of the ground.
Despite many complaints about the lighting, I believe it was a unique way to provide a nice colourful haze behind the ‘Dancing In The Dark’ singers silhouette. Another positive on this mess of an evening was the setlist, because although short, there was a perfect mixture between faster paced tracks like ‘Yeah Right’ and slower songs such as ‘Wanted U’.
Joji’s relaxed attire and stiff movements gave me the impression that he still has a way to go before becoming a performer as opposed to a singer, so next time I’ll stay at home and listen to the album until he’s ready to impress.