Born Anaïs Marinho, British singer-songwriter best known as ‘Arlo Parks’ – takes us on a melodic, emotional rollercoaster in the best way possible.
It’s Arlo’s soft, angelic voice we hear first. Perhaps it’s her red hair, the lonesome guitar strum, or the way in which she emerges onto the stage ever so swiftly that settles us into our seats. Her voice rich in soul and jazz, her beats raw and her lyrics textured – Arlo is the type of music you envision lying in a field of sunflowers to or associate warm, summer days with.
Her new album My Soft Machine rings true to her soulful, buttery melodies. In some ways she is the 90s voice of our generation. She starts to sing the first line of bruiseless, a song about returning to her innocence, amongst themes of guilt and trauma. The first line is murmured ‘I wish I was bruiseless’. We feel the complex emotions and heartbreak associated with her own lost innocence as she takes us through the song.
As heads bob and bodies sway, the mood is shifted with the start of Weightless from her album Blades. It’s smooth and poetic as she encourages the audience to stand with her. The concert hall comes to life even more so, while a relaxed and kind Arlo dances around the stage effortlessly. In Eugene, her words are powerful and far beyond her years – with a song that talks about love, heartbreak and everything in between.
Music was a constant for Arlo, as she mentions that her Mum has a desk calendar with the Sydney Opera House that she remembers fondly admiring for years. “And guys, now I am performing to you in this iconic venue’’. Caroline then starts with a silky guitar intro, as she sings about observing an artsy couple at a bus stop.
For an artist who is only 22, Arlo sings with conviction and floats through lyrics like poetry. It’s no surprise her album Collapsed in Sunbeams won the Mercury Prize back in 2021. Individually, each of Arlo’s songs explore various scenarios and heartfelt emotions.
‘Saturday was rotten to the core, whispering to Jodie on the floor, terrified of turning twenty-four, wet-eyed paranoid’ Arlo sings. Purple Phase touches on themes of friendship and the struggles of growing up. Her voice, breathy and gentle, flows as she narrates the song, delicately treading upon the topics she raises with thoughtful consideration.
We’re not ready to say goodbye just yet, so for her encore, she ends with Softly. We’re transported to the fragile, dying days of a relationship. ‘I dip into the love we had with ease. Lemon and ginger beer, soap suds on navels’. Arlo reflects on the days where it all felt sweet and luminous.
And while she does, we too are trying to pause what is such an intimate moment as her melodies fill the Sydney Opera House’s four walls.
-Caitlin
When she’s not globetrotting Caitlin Martin loves to scope out Sydney’s hidden gems, with a camera and coffee in hand. Follow her adventures @caitlineliseeee
