It’s been a very long time between excursions for UK followers of Tokio Lodge. The German quartet haven’t made it to our shores since 2019, acting at London’s O2 Discussion board, Kentish City, on April 29 that 12 months. After all, they’d supposed to come back sooner; like everybody else on the planet they’ve needed to put issues on maintain as a result of Covid-19 Pandemic, and their ‘Past The World’ tour, which had been deliberate for Autumn 2021, needed to be postponed. Lastly nevertheless, nearly 4 years to the day, they returned, with an unbelievable present on April 30 at London’s O2 Indigo, and the primary date of their European tour.
Supporting Tokio Lodge on the tour is Los Angeles primarily based pop artist and songwriter, Casey Baer. The singer, who has amassed greater than 160K followers on Instagram alone, burst onto the stage, beginning as she meant to complete – quick, enjoyable, and effervescent stuffed with vitality, opening with the Kacey Musgraves observe, ‘Late To The Occasion’, earlier than launching into her new single, ’17 Once more’, which was launched earlier final month. Casey received the gang excited and singing alongside along with her, with some viewers participation on ‘PTXD’, in addition to her 2022 launch, ‘By no means Have I Ever’. Casey ended her set along with her upcoming single, ‘Silly Boy’, which was effectively acquired. It was Casey’s first journey to the UK, and if she ever comes again with a headline present, I’m certain she’ll be very effectively acquired!
Earlier than we knew it, the lights had dimmed and Tokio Lodge hit the stage, opening with ‘White Lies’, from their newest album, ‘2001’.
Subsequent up was ‘Computerized’, from their 2009 album, ‘Humanoid’, and a transparent fan favorite. Most of the followers had travelled over from Europe, bringing an infectious enthusiasm to the room. The Indigo on the O2 was the right dimension for the live performance, giving an intimate and private really feel to the evening. Though Tokio Lodge stay in Los Angeles today, their European followers have stood by them the entire time. It’s mad to suppose that this band, who’re all nonetheless of their mid-30s, have been collectively performing as a band since 2001 (therefore the title of their newest album). Throughout that point they’ve gone from pop/alt rock to the more moderen electro/synth pop types, and the followers have stayed loyal, and as many are the identical age because the band members or older, they’ve basically all grown up collectively.
Tokio Lodge includes twins Invoice and Tom Kaulitz, drummer Gustav Schäfer and bass-guitarist Georg Itemizing. Whereas it could be straightforward to suppose that the Kaulitzes are the primary attraction (Invoice particularly being the frontman and founder), it’s clear that you simply don’t maintain a band collectively for over 20 years with out each individual within the group being an equal member. And so it was; whereas Invoice was undoubtedly the primary deal with the evening, being his traditional absolute showman self, and having no fewer than 7 costume modifications – 4 within the first half hour – they made certain that every member received his time within the highlight, whether or not or not it’s Georg opening the present, or Gustav making wry feedback in between songs.
Whereas nearly all of the present was excessive vitality, Tokio Lodge made time to have some slower moments as effectively, comparable to a duet between Invoice and Tom, sitting within the wall of the set, singing ‘Simply A Second’, from ‘2001’.
Tokio Lodge have lived between Germany and Los Angeles since 2010, and this prompted Invoice to say on Sunday evening that he might need some bother remembering a few of the German lyrics for his or her songs, and he may want some assist from the viewers – which after all they had been comfortable to do, singing ‘Schwarz’, from the band’s debut album, ‘Schrei’. Later everybody joined in on the very transferring ‘Spring Nicht’, the band’s plea to younger individuals to think about options to their issues aside from suicide.
The ultimate music of the set was 2019’s ‘Chateau’, a really synth/electropop observe, demonstrating the band’s present musical route. However because the music ended, the lights remained down, and we knew it wasn’t the top. In spite of everything – we hadn’t but heard Tokio Lodge’s greatest identified music within the UK, ‘Durch den Monsoon’. The observe, which was their debut single, was later re-recorded as ‘Monsoon’ and launched on their first English-language album, ‘Scream’. The German model has made a re-appearance on ‘2001’, as ‘Durch den Monsun 2020’. The band got here again on stage and performed their 2022 collab with Kraftklub, ‘Fahr mit mir (4×4)’, earlier than launching into ‘Durch Den Monson’. Lastly, they introduced the evening to an in depth with ‘Runaway’, from ‘2001’.
It was a implausible evening, with many followers nonetheless singing as they left the venue. Many will most likely go see different exhibits on this tour, however for the remainder of us for whom this was our solely present, we hope that Tokio Lodge might be again sooner slightly than later.
Tokio Lodge proceed on their European tour. You will discover restricted tickets right here.
Watch the video for his or her newest single, ‘When We Have been Youthful’ right here, and stream and ‘2001’ right here.
Try extra about Tokio Lodge and their music on-line on Instagram, and TikTok.
Casey Baer will also be discovered on-line on TikTok, and Instagram.
