Beabadoobee // Pretty Sick // Live Review // The Ulster Hall // Belfast

Critically acclaimed Gen Z beabadoobee is bringing her magic this evening to the infamous Ulster Hall, Belfast on the opening night of her Ireland & UK run of dates. After releasing her second studio album Beatopia to rave reviews, it will be a pleasure to experience her own brand of Gen Z magic in the flesh. In tow, this evening is Pretty Sick, London-based but NYC-rooted band and fellow label mates courtesy of Dirty Hit Records that are making waves of their own so this will be a quality night’s entertainment.

The Belfast crowd is always up for a great show, thirsty for the live scene the Ulster Hall has been a staple in the Northern Irish music scene for a very long time and one of Belfast’s most iconic venues, so for a relatively fresh artist on the scene such as beabadoobee to be rocking this stage shows just how far she has come as it is usually reserved for far more established artists and beyond.

First up are Pretty Sick, a three-piece with a gnarly sound to blow off the cobwebs! They get stuck right in with a blistering set that ravages the Ulster Hall crowd playing tracks from their latest offering “Makes Ms Sick Makes Me Smile” with vocalist Sabrina Fuentes looking the part is a glorious feminine dress and rocking a gargantuan sized Fender Bass guitar that thumps out the most thunderous runs. Guitarist Orazio Argentero beautifully compliments Sabrina’s basslines and deliciously delivered vocals whilst drummer Ava Kaufman slays it from behind banging those skins and slamming those cymbals like her life depends on it. Pretty Sick are exactly that, one seriously Pretty Sick package that you have to experience for yourselves, this crazy trio head out on their own North American Headline tour once they wrap up the support run with beabadoobee so make sure you check them out on their socials to keep up with all the details!

Makes Me Sick Makes Me Smile

https://prettysick.ffm.to/makesmesickmakesmesmile

WATCH: https://prettysick.ffm.to/selffulfillingvideo

The time has come and one of the artists of the moment takes to the stage, beabadoobee and her band arrive under a blanket of red light (every photographer’s nightmare) but that sets the scene beautifully for what is to follow. beabadoobee has such a diverse sound in her arsenal, from the most beautiful melodic numbers through to absolute rocking foot stompers and Belfast gets the whole kit and kaboodle! What really comes through is the quality of voice, the subtle tone that resonates against the backdrop of her songs and the gritty vibe that the band bring to the live experience. Banging out track after track that just resonates meshing all the best of your fuzz-rock, and emo-pop-punk with a bit of psychedelia thrown in the mix it really is hard to pigeon-hole an artist such as beabadoobee and why would you?

Enjoy the moment, enjoy the ride and expect the unexpected. I for one didn’t really know what to expect in the flesh, but it is so much more than you could wish for. One of the rare gems you’ll find in the modern music industry I am confident beabadoobee will go from strength to strength and deliver even more magic in the years to come, remember the name even if you’ll never remember how to spell it! But this was one show that did capture the imagination, the crowd absorbed everything the band launched at them from the stage and then some.