BLAKE ROSE AT THE FOUNDRY
BY RACHEL MINOTOn April 22, 2024, The Foundry’s stage in Philadelphia filled with a buzzing electricity that one could only fully describe as addicting. Blake Rose, an Australian singer-songwriter, created an experience where music took over every presence and allowed there to be an environment where one was free to let go. Whether it was just by swaying and singing along or by jumping and screaming the background vocals along with the track, stress was not a worry. “The Suddenly Okay Tour” brought something unique to the stage that was sure to create a core memory in fan’s heads.
With the first leg of his first ever North American tour completed, Blake Rose’s energy has yet to plateau. Fans counted down the moments until the Perth native took stage and after overhearing conversations from fans young and old, the one thing that was unanimous– star quality. Something akin to a Bleachers concert, where the energy on stage never falters even during the slower songs. Everybody enjoying the show was attentive; hanging onto the words that flowed from Blake.
The 26-year-old opened the show with songs from his 2023 album ‘You’ll Get It When You’re Older’ like ‘Don’t Stop the Car’ and ‘Dizzy’. ‘Don’t Stop the Car’ creates this intoxicating feeling of wanting to recreate the famous tunnel scene from ‘Perks of Being a Wallflower’. Almost beachy, it is an anthem for someone who is a hopeless romantic, wanting to feel the beauty in the beginning stages of love. The same goes for ‘Dizzy’, the title seemingly references the head rush one feels with falling for someone. The catchiness of the melodies and beats blend perfectly with the lyrics which replicate the feeling of being ‘Dizzy’ in love with someone. Admittedly, while writing this, I’m singing Blake’s lyrics “If I was Spiderman, baby, you’d be Zendaya/’Cause you’re the only one that I can’t get my head around.”
Blake opened up to the crowd about his song ‘Casanova,’ saying “if you love her too fast, she won’t ever love you back.” With that knowledge, one would believe this song was a heartbreaker paired with piano and a solemn overtone. However, that’s not the case. The lyrics may bring a cynical ‘I’ll run away from love as to
never get hurt’ meaning, the beat was one I found myself dancing to. Bopping my head and tapping my fingers against my camera along with everyone in the crowd.
‘Heavy Shit’ followed and if you know one song by Blake Rose, it’s this one. The 2019 single was Blake’s attempt of saying ‘shit “as many times as he could” while expressing what he was feeling. This song is what makes a singer; the certified heavy hitter that is so catchy in the best way. Every band has that one song that every fan knows, this is the instance for everyone in the crowd. There was a group of girls on the side barricade that were practically folded over the metal while screaming along with Blake. The singer had a smile on his face as he took their energy and ran with it, creating more of an already intense performance. That was what clued me in even more to his amazing stage presence.
An interlude was played which led into the ‘sadder bits’ of the show. Said interlude gave me flashbacks to LANY’s 2015 song ‘Walk Away’ mixed with the vibes of The 1975’s 2016 album ‘i like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it.’ Soft-synth heavy and almost dream-like yet bringing a sadder, reality-heavy tone to it.
Following said interlude, Blake played ‘Movie,’ a song in which he started writing with intentions of it being a love song but ended up a way for him to filter out his existential dread. The acoustic led song brings the feeling of not wanting to regret any moment of life on your deathbed to the forefront. Following this, ‘Ordinary People’ was next.
“It was one of my first trips out to Los Angeles,” Blake told the crowd with a laugh, “I met this girl and I fell head over heels for her within a week. How does that even happen?!” The crowd laughed along with him while he shook his head as a pause to hydrate between songs. “It was like a week, but it took me 6 months to get over. It was short but at least I got a song out of it because if I didn’t, what else are you left with other than rubble and dust?” The soft vocals of the song paired with the twinge of the acoustic guitar was a perfect blend, the story paired with it created a knowing sense in everyone’s head what type of heartbreak this was.
One perk of playing a smaller venue is the ability to make the moment more intimate. Blake used this to his advantage as he decided to go without his microphone for his song ‘Gone.’ Usually, he would do this song in the crowd but with the wrapped around set-up of this venue, it was only fair to stay on stage, just him and his guitar. Sniffles were easier to be heard as the song progressed on, couples and friends leaning into one another as they were hooked onto the finale of the acoustic chapter of the setlist.
‘Suddenly Okay’ is something anyone who has ever been through a breakup has experienced. The day you wake up after all this self healing and mourning what you once knew only to feel...lighter. It’s not a fresh start but it’s the beginning of, you guessed it, suddenly being okay. That’s the story behind this song, good vibes in the midst of misery and realizing that “hey, if I ever saw your face, then I’d be suddenly okay.” just as Blake wrote.
There is a way to describe a performer like Blake, yet words fail me because of how in awe I was. Even with just his acoustic guitar and no microphone– while standing on stage without his bandmates Caleb and Luke, he created an atmosphere that I would’ve expected to be had at The Foundry’s downstairs location, The Fillmore. The high energy songs paired with the lull of the acoustic portion of the show blended perfectly, reminding me once more of Bleachers and Jack Antanoff’s stage presence which I have experienced before. Blake Rose is magnetic and electrifying as well as so intimate and personable. I now get how one can embody ‘star quality’ and why Rose’s fans can agree on that being true.
