Words and Photos by Darryll Magboo
Isabel LaRosa made her Danforth Music Hall debut on May 4th – never repeating venues for every visit, this would also be her 4th time performing in Toronto. The city’s edition of her Psychopomp Tour opened with a moody guitar set from her brother and longtime collaborator Thomas LaRosa, followed by a fun yet intimate set from Mercer Henderson. By the time the stage fell into darkness and Thomas with drummer Rhys Hastings took their places, the room was jolted into sudden cheers.
Isabel stepped out in the same dark and elegant outfit she wore in her Burning music video—an immediate signal to fans that her visual world and live show are closely intertwined. She opened with older, her vocals soft and haunting over Thomas’s guitar work. It was a subtle yet strong, emotionally loaded start that pulled the audience right in.
From there, she moved into Pretty Boy and Famous, both of which hit harder live, with layered production and pulsing bass giving the songs more weight and the crowd something to jump and dance to. The lighting was minimal but effective—lots of silhouettes and flickering strobes that matched the moodiness of her sound.
Even just a few songs in, Isabel proved she knows exactly what she’s doing. With nothing to hide, her set fully relied on her energy, with Isabel in control of allowing you to feel her music, whether it’s punchy, emotional, or both at the same time. It felt like a page out of the same diary that fuels her music, and it’s always praiseworthy when an artist lays it all out on stage.
Aron Harris
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