Written by: Wyatt Westlake

“The pandemic made me realize that I took all this for granted,” said Syd in front of a packed crowd at Boston’s Royale on June 2 in support of her second solo album, Broken Hearts Club. She went on to express her appreciation for the fans by toasting them with a cup of Hennessy. The sentiment was mutual as the audience continued to cheer and sing their hearts out to every song she performed throughout the show.

Broken Hearts Club was released back in April and marks Syd’s second solo album and tour as she has spent the majority of her career so far creating and touring with her band, The Internet. While most of her set consisted of songs from Broken Hearts Club, she also ran through a majority of her first solo album, Fin, along with some Internet fan favorites such as “Special Affair” and “Girl” to the satisfaction of die-hard fans longing for some old material by shouting out older songs.

The stage was set up to replicate the album’s cover art, with large banners creating archways and an array of plants and flowers, adding to the vibrance of her moody-yet-joyous setlist. She was backed by a bass player who shined during the slapping moments of “CYBAH” and a keyboard player who stole the show during a slowed-down performance of “Smile More.” They had great chemistry and played off each other nicely.

Syd’s ability to set and change the mood was remarkable as she could get the crowd jumping with “You’re The One” as easily as she could get them in their feelings with “Missing Out.” When talking to the crowd, she helped fans understand the relationship-to-breakup storyline of Broken Hearts Club and painted a picture of her thinking when she wrote certain songs for the album, such as the groovy “Fast Car.”

Fans gave Syd her flowers quite literally as one person held out a bouquet of roses towards the end of her set. Two people in the front had designed their own t-shirts with her face on it, which she instantly acknowledged. She once again expressed her gratitude for the crowd and ended the night with “Girl.” 

Syd completely brought Broken Hearts Club to life through performance and stage design but also was able to capture the vibes of her past albums while still not taking herself too seriously and playing around with the audience.

Catch Syd on her remaining tour dates here.