{"id":78575,"date":"2022-11-08T11:25:51","date_gmt":"2022-11-08T10:25:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/?p=78575"},"modified":"2022-11-08T11:25:52","modified_gmt":"2022-11-08T10:25:52","slug":"aly-aj-bring-a-touch-of-the-beat-to-london-in-7-november-show-at-o2-shepherds-bush-empire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2022\/11\/aly-aj-bring-a-touch-of-the-beat-to-london-in-7-november-show-at-o2-shepherds-bush-empire\/","title":{"rendered":"Aly & AJ Bring ‘A Touch Of The Beat’ To London In 7 November Show At O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After a string of EP releases and compilation releases, Aly & AJ returned in 2021 with their third studio album \u2018A Touch Of The Beat Gets You Up On Your Feet Gets You Out and Then In The Sun\u2019 and with a string of tour dates following suit, including an evening at London\u2019s finest O2 Shepherds Bush Empire.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Aly & AJ – O2 Shepherd’s Bush, 7 November 2022. Photo Credit: Daniel Sado<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019d seen the girls in 2019, shortly after the release of \u2018Sanctuary\u2019 and even though it\u2019s only been three years, it feels like the girls are at a completely different stage musically. They opened their show with album track \u2018Break Yourself\u2019 \u2013walking on the stage with a grace and air of coolness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The setlist was pretty jam packed with new tracks and if you\u2019re a fan of the \u2018Sanctuary\u2019 EP, you would be disappointed as the four tracks on that release were omitted, however, we were treated to a string of new songs from their forthcoming album including the gorgeous new single \u2018With Love From\u2019, which features a woeful and thought-provoking middle eight. The track is magically hypnotic and has a wonderful narrative stream of consciousness starting with the girls singing \u201cI\u2019m hiding out in Missouri, not happy anywhere\u201d to the closing \u201cthat\u2019s why I wrote you with love from Missouri.\u201d Another new track that sounded insatiable was \u2018Blue Dress.\u2019 One we\u2019ll be checking out when the album arrives in Spring no doubt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Aly & AJ – O2 Shepherd’s Bush, 7 November 2022. Photo Credit: Daniel Sado<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The show seemed like it was of two parts \u2013 the girls are incredibly talented musicians and it\u2019s weird to not know this considering our first images of the girls were them holding guitars. Throughout the set, Aly made her way through almost every instrument on the stage \u2013 she hit the keyboards for crowd pleaser \u2018Promises\u2019 and had a tambourine on the go for the beautiful and sombre \u2018Dead on the Beach\u2019 (a painstaking duet between AJ and their guitarist!). They changed guitars during the set like most Vegas performers change their costume. It was magnetic, energetic and really thought-evoking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Aly & AJ – O2 Shepherd’s Bush, 7 November 2022. Photo Credit: Daniel Sado<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lyrically, the girls are shining stronger than ever before, aforementioned with \u2018With Love From\u2019 but \u2018Stomach\u2019 really came alive live whilst the girls sang \u201cI just can’t stomach being your ex-wife\u201d, the need for adventure on \u2018Pretty Places\u2019 and the Lockdown love song \u2018Slow Dancing.\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If there were a criticism, it\u2019s only minor. There was a real lack of older tracks. Fans of \u2018Rush\u2019, \u2018Chemical React\u2019 or \u2018Like Whoa\u2019 would be disappointed \u2013 even with the newly recorded versions of the latter two. Instead, the only nod to their past music was the album track \u2018Insomniatic\u2019 \u2013 a lovely song but quite strange when the girls billed it as \u201clet\u2019s go back to some of our older music\u201d and performed what is essentially a random album track. Perhaps one day we\u2019ll get a \u2018Blush\u2019 outing or \u2018Greatest Time of Year\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Aly & AJ – O2 Shepherd’s Bush, 7 November 2022. Photo Credit: Daniel Sado<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If there\u2019s one thing the girls did showcase at O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, they are the real deal. They packed a great show full of wonderful album tracks and really deciphered who Aly & AJ are. They rock, they sing, and we cannot wait to see what they bring next.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After a string of EP releases and compilation releases, Aly & AJ returned in 2021 with their third studio album \u2018A Touch Of The Beat Gets You Up On Your Feet Gets You Out and Then In The Sun\u2019 and with a string of tour dates following suit, including an evening at London\u2019s finest O2 Shepherds Bush Empire.<\/p>\n

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