Music Editor, Dylan Bryant, reviews Madison Beer at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire 13th April 2022

With 30 million Instagram followers, over a billion streams and a strong collection of sing along pop anthems, the excitement for this show was palpable. As I approached the venue I saw hordes of queuing fans dressed up in miniskirts and hair ribbons – a look famously associated with social media and music superstar Madison Beer.

(Photo Credit: Pablo Santana)

Although idolised by many of her younger fans for her looks and social influence, it must be said that Madison Beer is one of the most talented vocalists that I have seen live, with a voice that is pitch – perfect both when hitting the magnificent highs and the haunting depths. Madison’s songs discuss relatable topics of love, relationships and breakups and it’s no surprise that her army of fans were belting out the lyrics, word perfect all night. 

Opening with ‘Baby’, Madison was pushed on to the stage by her backup dancers in a neon cage and phone lights lit up the room as her fans were desperate to catch the moment their idol graced the stage.

Madison was effortlessly self-assured as she sang the lyrics “If you wanna be my baby, know I’m gonna drive you mad, probably gonna call me crazy, I’m the best you’ve ever had, yeah”. This was a theme that ran throughout the night – confident lyrics and her sweet demeanour are undoubtedly a winning combination.

(Photo Credit: Pablo Santana)

Madison is a versatile artist and she managed to weave in elements of a variety of different genres and her second song of the night ‘Good in Goodbye’ demonstrated her multifaceted approach to her music. 

The dedication of her fans was solidified during some of her lesser known tracks such as ‘Emotional Bruises’ which saw them counting the lyrics they obviously knew “Cause this is the fifth time I’ve taken you back, It’s the fourth time that we’ve relapsed, It’s the third second chance that I’ve given you for the first time” on their fingers.

An excellent addition to the set was showing recordings of videos and preludes for specific songs where Madison would leave the stage and come back to perform. For example, on ‘Follow the White Rabbit’ the backdrop cleverly showed a video of Madison knocking and asking, “Excuse me, has anyone seen a white rabbit?” as if she was speaking to the crowd; before launching into the song. This added to the incredible set as Madison pulled the audience into her music.

(Photo Credit: Pablo Santana)

For those who read the music section of this paper, it may come as a surprise to see this review as I usually offer my attention to Rock, Jazz and Soul and admittedly, I was by no means a Madison Beer superfan compared to the most of those in attendance. However, I couldn’t help myself singing along to her extremely catchy hits such as ‘Reckless’ and ‘Selfish’ along with the deafening crowd.  

I was lucky enough to be invited backstage to meet Madison after the show and despite her superstar status, she was effortlessly cool, and calm having just walked off stage. Madison has grown as an artist and her incredible album ‘Life Support’ is a perfect introduction to her talent and angelic voice. 

(Photo Credit: Pablo Santana)

Set list

  1. Baby
  2. Good in Goodbye
  3. Stay Numb and Carry On
  4. Emotional Bruises
  5. Reckless
  6. Homesick
  7. Stained Glass
  8. Default
  9. Effortlessly
  10. Selfish
  11. Blue
  12. Sour Times
  13. Dear Society
  14. BOYSHIT
  15. Follow the White Rabbit
  16. Everything Happens for a Reason

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