Poppy Graced the O2 Academy 2 In Birmingham:

Poppy embarked on her European tour and headed to the O2 Academy 2 on 19th February 2024. The gig began with a slightly rocky start for venue staff and fans alike due to a last-minute venue change. Moving from the main room into the cosier Academy 2 this left a whole lot of balcony ticketed fans confused, angry and concerned. Having no confirmation of this until two hours before the doors were set to open the chaos started way before any mosh pits opened up.

First Act - WARGASM (UK):

Despite the poorly advertised venue change, fans were still buzzing entering the venue anticipating the first act. WARGASM (UK) blasted on stage with a mighty guitar riff starting off the night with ‘Fukstar’. Sam Matlock, one half of WARGASM wasted no time addressing the crowd and their seemingly lack of energy. Making use of stage space and riling everyone up until the room was a collection of headbanging and jumping. Milkie Way, the second half of WARGASM owned the stage working the crowd whilst simultaneously throwing herself around it too.

WARGASM had impressive crowd interaction, encouraging movement and radiating energy. Creating multiple pits throughout their set, they did exactly what an opening act should – warm the crowd up.

Main Act - Poppy:

The second the lights dimmed; screams echoed round the room awaiting Poppy’s entrance.

She opened with a classic fan favourite ‘BLOODMONEY’ which was clearly a great choice. The crowd didn’t need another second to warm up, Poppy’s captivating presence had fans shouting the lyrics just as loud as her.

‘Hard’ saw the opportunity for Poppy to pick up the bass guitar, receiving a welcoming reaction from the crowd before moving into an older song ‘Breeders’. She made great use of stage space, smiling playfully at fans.

Poppy raged through her set into ‘V.A.N’, a collaboration between her and Bad Omens. She pulled this off remarkably on her own with the powerful backing of instrumentals. This was one I was personally looking forward to hearing live. Poppy had the chance to showcase her genre range and impressive vocals here.

‘Scary Mask’ was a notable song live, the blend of Poppy’s softer vocals combined with additional screams, powerful movements and a room full of anticipation for the heavier chorus elevated the gig.

The gig came to a close with ‘BITE YOUR TEETH’, where she added in mesmerising dance moves. This was a great choice not giving the show a chance to dip in energy but drain the audience of all they had before her quick goodbye.

Her set was sprinkled with songs from her new album ‘Zig’ as well as a collection of songs from her previous albums, a great balance. Capturing the audience right from the start despite the very little audience interaction is a testament to poppy’s impressive stage presence. She powerfully owned the stage making for an impressive gig.

All Photos and words by Natalie Brown