UPSAHL at the Roxy
"Played my first show in LA in 2018 at Hotel Cafe and three people were there (two being my dad and my manger)...Tonight we sold out The Roxy" UPSAHL proudly posted to her Instagram stories.
I was lucky enough to be one of many in that sold out crowd. After first seeing UPSAHL when she opened for YUNGBLUD last March at the Shrine, I was hungry for more. This performance at The Roxy concluded her first headline tour, appropriately titled, "This is My First Headline Tour". Even though it was the last show of the tour, you could not hear it in her singing. She talked to the crowd in a raspy, sultry voice, but her vocals were flawless. UPSAHL showed off her range as she was able to hit big notes. She stayed perfectly on pitch during the more conversational songs and would talk-sing, a hard skill to execute.
UPSAHL opened with her big hit (and one of my personal favorites), the title track of her first album, "Lady Jesus". She has such a strong stage presence, very confident and sexy even in her more vulnerable and emotional songs. For example, during the song "Arizona", I was nearly moved to tears until the final line, "I don't have a dick but you can suck my masterplan" bringing a little humor and sassiness to a deeper song. Speaking of "Arizona", the song featured just UPSAHL singing with her guitar, no band. I was very impressed. She knows what she can do and showcased her talents flawlessly: the perfect mix of being a lead singer and instrumentalist. Not everyone can pull that off. She was well matched with lead guitarist, Jonny Sim, another killer talent.
An interesting performance choice was the way the band would segue into another song. Sometimes one song would immediately go into another, giving no time for a breath in between. They wasted no time getting to the point and the crowd was hyped. Speaking of the crowd, UPSAHL was great at interacting with us. I could tell that she genuinely enjoys being on stage and seems at home up there. She thanked the crowd at the end of the show saying it had been an honor. I caught her getting choked up as she looked at the sold out audience standing before her. A sold out audience singing along to every word of her songs. That's got to feel good and UPSAHL should be very proud of herself and how far she's come as a performer. This is only the beginning, as I expect nothing but great things ahead for this artist.
I also have to give a shout out to the opener, KiNG MALA. I saw her perform with Kelsy Karter back in June at the Troubadour. She came out to sing one song with Karter, so at The Roxy show I was pumped to see MALA do her own thing. Her performance of the song "cult leader" was my absolute favorite of the night, and if she's starting one, sign me up. Props to her bassist, Rob Auerbach, who really stood out. That bass line was sick. Not just on "cult leader" but every song of MALA's.
LISTEN TO UPSAHL:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1294QqYm1VuxxjRiL9M0h9?si=mOx7nwl4SaSWmAr62YjLmQ
LISTEN TO KiNG MALA:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5Lz5CnywFeg4Rs4l76OtG2?si=VLoJkAtDRFqK7d8earXByw
Comments