Last time I unfortunately missed Bôa’s Australian tour, but I was lucky enough to find redemption in a tiny club show in Hamburg.
While Bôa is probably not a household name, I’m certain at some point in your life you will have the incredible bridge of their song ‘Duvet’. During lockdown the song gained a new wind of life, people rediscovering the song from its previous use as the theme song for the anime, ‘Serial Experiments Lain’, coming together to praise the ethereal strings that make the bridge so enchanting. The song was originally released in 1998 as the lead single of their first album. The band has a very tumultuous history, switching between labels and band members, resulting in a massive break between releases. The sudden surge in popularity prompted the British alt-rock band to reunite and put out their fourth album, ‘Whiplash’, which came about almost twenty years after their last release. It was this album they were touring when I saw them in Hamburg.
Bôa were playing Bahnhof Pauli, a nightclub built around an abandoned subway station. The station in question was completed, but never put into use and then later converted into the venue, opening in September of 2015. It’s located in Hamburg’s famous Reeperbahn, the red light district of the city and a place famous for its music history – specifically the Beatles first steps outside of the UK. Bahnof Pauli has a maximum capacity of just under 400 hundred people and is possibly the coolest venue I’ve ever been to.
The concert culture in Hamburg is very calm compared to other cities I have visited, more reminiscent of what I’m used to in Australia. Most fans, though this does depend on the intensity of the fandom, are quite happy to show up an hour or so before doors. At the second concert I attended while in Hamburg this was also the case, whereas I found the culture in Berlin and Cologne much more competitive when it came to getting a place on the barricade. Not having to wait all day in line for a good spot always makes a concert better, the doors opening at 9pm and the venue’s location probably aided in this too.
Entering the venue was smooth and easy, staff checking bags and scanning tickets fifteen minutes before doors. Having been sick with the flu the past several days I’d honestly considered not going, I’m so glad I sucked up the mild headache and went. I found myself on the left side of the stage, waiting for the opening act, Francis of the Delirium (Jana Bahrich). Francis of the Delirium released their second album last month, titled ‘… Run, Run Pure Beauty’. During her opening set, Bahrich performed several songs from the record and despite the fact they were unreleased at the time, she had the crowd echoing the lyrics back to her in a call and response. The crowd easily took to her and it was obvious that her time spent opening for big name acts such as Kings of Leon and the 1975 had given her the skills to enchant a crowd that wasn’t necessarily hers with ease. The chemistry between Francis of the Delirium and her touring band was excellent, dancing with her bass player and drummer. It was a set I really enjoyed.
The time between Francis of the Delirium and Bôa’s set flew by, the crowd erupting loudly as the band took their places. Immediately they launched into the title track of their song ‘Deeply’ before transition into ‘Whiplash’ – the title track off their most recent album and a favourite of mine. The lighting was soft, which contrasted with the sounds of the guitar and the loudness of the crowd. It seemed everyone knew the words to the songs, even those from the newest album like ‘Seafarer’ or the deeper cuts such as ‘A Girl’. Jasmine Rodgers has such a beautiful and captivating voice and throughout the set she switched between several guitars showing her versatility as a musician. It wasn’t until the band reformed in 2023 that Rodgers took up playing the guitar more centrally within the band.
The band played an assortment of songs from their catalogue, blending their previous work from over 20 years ago with their most recent record. It was very impressive to see the fans taken just as avidly with their current sound as their old, and if anything ’Whiplash’ feels like their most cohesive project, being free of their earlier record label issues. Halfway through the set the band delivered an acoustic version of their song ‘Frozen’, it helped calm the atmosphere down for a moment. It also gave these present a moment to appreciate Jasmine Rodgers’ vocals, there were several moments throughout the set where the other instruments drowned her out. Though this issue was resolved by the time the encore came around.
The crowd reached their loudest during this moment, there had been several noticeable absences from the setlist and so everyone knew what was coming. As soon as Rodgers played the first chord of ‘Duvet’ the room erupted. ‘Duvet’ is unique, a song that managed to escape the TikTok vitality curse of only the hook or chorus being known. Everyone knew the words, joining in loudly with Rodgers in chorus. Before coming back together for the final chorus, Bôa killed their instruments and turned the mics onto the crowd in a call and response. Rodgers sang the first line of the chorus and the Bahnhof Pauli echoed it back to her in unison. She then took it a step further, splitting the crowd down the middle and having them each sing different lines of the chorus, before eventually bringing the band’s instruments back in to deliver the song’s climax. Following ‘Duvet’ was ‘Twilight’, the crowd did not lose momentum – if anything they gained even more energy. I recall looking to either side of myself and the whole barricade moving together as we headbanged.
Bôa closed their show out with ‘Walk With Me’ which felt more than fitting as they had just taken us through their catalogue of over two decades. After finishing their song and bowing together, Jasmine Rodgers graciously came forward to mingle with the barricade, thanking us for coming and presenting several lucky fans with a guitar pick or setlist. The energy of this show was amazing from the band and the crowd, and it felt like Bôa were truly reveling in everything that had come their way in the past several years. They’re so immensely talented and it feels almost unfair that it took twenty years for them to receive this sort of recognition, but in an odd way it shows to never to give up and that success will find you in the most unlikely of ways.
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