An hour or so before Lewis Capaldi was due to take the stage, American singer-songwriter Conan Gray appeared to the crowd at the Roundhay Festival at Leeds, and for many, he was the main event.
Fans in red and blue sailor outfits cosplaying his Wishbone album were dotted around, and ahead of his set, one could be heard muttering that ‘if Conan doesn’t turn up in the sailor outfit, I’m gonna lose it’. Well, he didn’t quite show up in the same attire as seen across his tour, but hopefully ivory new romantic garb would do.
Fans and onlookers were immediately met with a theatrical sight: painted clouds were propped up on stage, while Conan’s band stood elevated on their own platform in the back. Clearly, just as much thought was put into the visuals as the audio. The singer took several moments to begin, drinking in the atmosphere on a pleasantly warm and breezy day, and doing what Gen Zs would call “aura farming” before he finally lifted his mic to open with “My World”. The wind almost became a performer itself, sculpting the flowing parts of Conan’s outfit in elegance that mirrored his vocal performance.
Fans were excited to hear favourites such as “Heather”, which Conan introduced by pronouncing: ‘Heather if you’re out there I’m sorry. But also I’m not because this song is a banger!’ And begun the song in pure impish glee.
Pop anthem “Wish You Were Sober” was backed with a scene of a vivid blue sky – not in real life, that was a bit cloudier – on the back screen while Conan soared across the stage, looking like he was literally flying in the sky. From warm acoustic to rousing anthem, Conan dished out the best from his most popular albums Kid Krow and Superache, and of the latter “Family Line” was especially beautiful. The song not only allows for some particularly eye-pricking vocal moments, but the lyrics of the chorus hit hard:
Scattered ‘cross my family lineI’m so good at telling liesThat came from my mother’s sideTold a million to surviveScattered ‘cross my family lineGod, I have my father’s eyesBut my sister’s when I cryI can run, but I can’t hideFrom my family line
In the same vein, Conan teased that because Lewis was headlining, ‘I feel like that gives me an excuse to perform sad songs’. True to his word, things got even more sombre and beautiful. The weather partook in the performance at this point, to which the singer thanked the crowd for standing out in the rain. ‘It’s very nice of you,’ he told the Brits.
Luckily Wishbone and its deluxe version is full of such gems that the crowd was able to listen to so many relatively new songs. Whether he’s going poppier or dialling things down for a mellow set, Conan Gray is a dream to see live, but his moment at Roundhay was just that bit more special than the average show with the sailor. For attendees, parting with Conan was indeed a sweet sorrow, but we’re sure it won’t be long till the next reunion.
Conan Gray is on Instagram and all major streaming platforms.
