Concert Review - Indigo De Souza
Indigo De Souza is an indie singer-songwriter hailing from the lively Asheville, North Carolina. Over the past few months, she has been on the road touring across North America in support of her recently released 3rd studio album “All of This Will End”. De Souza was born in our very own Danbury, Connecticut, but grew up in a small town called Spruce Spring in North Carolina. Growing up she was one of the only mixed-race kids in school being of both American and Brazilian descent. She was raised by a single mother, who was content in helping Indigo appreciate her differences and explore her musical talent. De Souza’s mother also designed the cover of all three of her albums, so it’s safe to say creativity runs in the family.
On May 25th-26th, 2023 De Souza took her tour to Hamden, CT’s Space Ballroom for not one, but two shows, the first of which was sold out. Space Ballroom has been a hub for indie artists in the CT area. It exudes an intimate atmosphere, which allows for a special connection to form between the audience and the artist. I attended her second CT date along with our Co-Editor in Chief, Jessie Fuentes. Jessie photographed Indigo’s set, and the photos are available for viewing in our Inigo De Souza Gallery. The show opened with a performance from fellow North Carolina resident Sluice. Sluice performed multiple songs from his repertoire and even invited De Souza’s violinist Libby Rodenbough to perform with him for his final two songs. As his opening performance came to an end Jessie and I were able to move farther into the crowd, about three rows to the barrier, in anticipation of Indigo’s set. As the time for De Souza’s performance grew nearer, I could tell the crowd was getting antsy for her to grace the stage. The anticipation hung thick in the air.
When Indigo finally stepped on stage, the crowd went feral! Cheers and applause filled the crowd. It was a change of pace from the calm and collected audience that vibed to Sluice’s breezy set just a mere 30 minutes prior. She was joined on stage by violinist Libby Rodenbough, drummer Avery Sullivan, bassist Landon Geroge, and guitarist Dexter Webb. De Souza started her set with the album’s lead single “Time Back”. She immediately jumped into the song, which is one of the more pop-centric hits on “All of This Will End”. De Souza sang with hopeless abandon, shaking her curly bob around as if she was trying to release a trapped energy that radiated through her body. The crowd responded by matching her high energy and began jumping and shouting the lyrics back to her. As she moved to the second song on the setlist “You Can Be Mean” De Souza had the audience in the palm of her hand. It was at that moment I knew this show was going to be special. A few songs in De Souza spoke to the audience, thanked them, and asked how they were. One audience member shouted:
“How are you?”
To which De Souza replied:
“Worse than yesterday, but I’ll survive.
The audience member acknowledges her candid reply with:
“The only way out is through”
Indigo De Souza shot by Jessie Fuentes for Melodía Magazine (2023)
De Souza is candid about her struggles with her anxiety and depression, which is something I believe drew in much of the audience that night. There was a sense of quiet acknowledgment that many of her fans had been in a similar position at one point in their life. In my prior review of the album, I mentioned that De Souza’s music has this raw relatability that draws people in. She isn’t afraid to speak about the scary and real moments that she’s experienced in her life. This creates a bond between her and the listener, and I believe this sentiment rang true during her live performance. You can't help but get drawn in by her ethereal magnetism. It’s all-consuming, and when she wailed along to the heart-wrenching lyrics of the final song of the set, “Real Pain”, I couldn’t help but close my eyes and be transported by her otherworldly voice. De Souza is a rare talent that I have no doubt will be appreciated by many for years to come. Her high energy, raw emotion, and sheer likability make her a star, at least in my book. I’d like to end this review with my favorite quote of the night:
“Hell yeah pug purse”
This was said by De Souza in acknowledgment of an audience member's super rad pug purse.
You can catch Indigo De Souza on tour this summer, tickets are available for purchase on Eventbrite. You can stream “All of This Will End” on Spotify, YouTube Music, and Apple Music.
