On December 13, Suki Waterhouse’s “Sparklemuffin” Tour descended on Boston for a sold-out night at Roadrunner.
Kicking off the evening was Waterhouse’s Sub Pop labelmate, Bully, a solo project helmed by singer, songwriter, and guitarist Alicia Bognanno. Rocking a vintage Replacements tee, Bognanno charged up the crowd with her raspy vocals, which reverberated through the venue. “I’m too hard to love,” she sang, earning whistles and cheers from the audience.
Her vocals were showcased when she dropped a piano performance of “Atom Bomb.” When she got to the lyrical mention of a “heat wave in Boston,” she giggled at the crowd’s cheers, “I forgot about that.”
Before making way for Waterhouse, Bognanno thanked the crowd for their glowing phone lights. “Thank you—that was very nice,” she said with gratitude.
It wasn’t long before Waterhouse had the crowd entangled in her web. The lights strobed as a narrator’s voice cooed through the speakers, setting the scene for the aftermath of a Hollywood Hill’s car crash. “Weary, she stumbles down the deserted canyon searching for a safe haven and finds herself in an enchanted forest lush with willows. The skyline twinkles behind her as hundreds of tiny spiders descend, wrapping her in the healing cocoon. Among them, the sparklemuffin.”
Wrapped in a black fur coat, Waterhouse emerged from behind a spiderweb framed by lush foliage. The model, actress…and singer quickly descended into “Gateway Drug,” the lead track off her sophomore album, Memoir of a Sparklemuffin. Across four acts, Waterhouse unraveled the story of Sparklemuffin, named after the endearing, vibrantly colored Australian arachnid. Over the course of 17 songs, Waterhouse elegantly threaded together highlights from her eight-year catalog, moving effortlessly between delicate ballads, guitar-driven singles, and rock anthems that had the crowd swaying.
“I’m from London and I didn’t come all this way not to have a good time. Let’s have some fun!,” she egged on the crowd before rocking out to “My Fun” while dawning heart shaped sunglasses. By the song’s crescendo, she had the entire sold-out crowd waving their hands back and forth as she sang” Yeah, babe, you got a good woman.”
Like a true memoirist, Waterhouse also brought the audience into her world, sharing the stories behind her songs. “I wrote this after I met a girl called Violet at a bar in New York. We spent eight hours just talking about the mania of love,” she recounted from the edge of the stage, introducing “Big Love.”
The evening came to a close with her track “Brutally,” performed at the piano by the sparkle of a vine draped disco ball and the glow of cellphone lights, followed by her viral hit “Good Looking.” Despite briefly pausing to respond to an audience medical emergency and check on the rest of the crowd, she seamlessly picked the song back up at the bridge.
Before exiting, Waterhouse gave Boston its flowers: “I’m seriously in love with Boston. This is an incredible place. Great people.” By the way the crowd erupted in cheers, it was clear the feeling was mutual – Boston was seriously in love with her too.
To get tickets to the “Sparklemuffin” tour, visit https://sukiwaterhouse.tv/
