Music & Concerts
Years & Years play to adoring D.C. crowd
British electro-pop outfit charms at packed 9:30 Club


Years & Years played a sold-out show at the 9:30 Club last weekend. (Photo by Fiona Garden)
Watching the sold-out crowd for British electronic/indie band Years & Years wrap around the block for their sold-out 9:30 Club show on Saturday, the energy was crackling in the same way it must have been in the beginning careers of artists such as Chuck Brown, Dave Grohl and Lady Gaga, who have also graced the historic 9:30 Club stage. (Read the Blade’s interview with Olly Alexander here.)
The diversity in the crowd was apparent as young gay couples held hands next to little kids who were asking their parents when Olly Alexander, lead singer and keyboardist of the band, was going to appear on stage. Groups of friends out for a girlsā night to see the show mingled amidst the crowd as well as everyone waited for the band to arrive.
Before Years & Years took the stage their opening act, singer/songwriter Tei Shei, got the show started. Her R&B-esque tunes complemented her strong voice as she hit every note thrown her way. The crowd didnāt seem familiar with her music at the start of her set but by the end everyone was jumping around to the beat.
Shei played her last song āBassicallyā to the crowd with high energy as she bounced around on stage singing. Not only was the crowd hyped, but Alexander could be seen dancing along to his tour mateās finale song backstage.
Soon after, Years & Years took the stage to a packed club. From the ground floor to the upstairs, there was hardly any room to move without bumping into another eager fan trying to glimpse the band. The trio, comprised of Alexander, bassist Mikey Goldsworthy and synth player Emre TĆ¼rkmen, looked startled, nervous and pleased all at once at the turnout as they launched into their first song āFoundation,ā which ended to deafening applause.
Years & Years then sang their hit song āTake Shelter,ā a reggae electronic dance song that appeared to be Alexanderās favorite. He became just as caught up in the music as the crowd, a couple times forgetting to sing because he was too busy dancing. Alexander used his entire body to twist and gyrate his way around the stage with so much confidence it was less of a dance and more of a statement.
Later in the show Alexander grabbed a fanās poster that said, āThanks for reminding us all we are kings and queensā and read it out to the crowd. He seemed just as excited to be interacting with the fan as the fan was to interact with him.
High-paced songs like āRealā had the crowd dancing with vigor while slower ones like āMemo,ā found them watching in awed silence as Alexander softly played on the keyboard while singing his lilting vocals.
One of the best parts of the show was when Shei joined the band on stage for a cover of āBreatheā by Blu Cantrell and Shaggy. The song, a staple in millennial nostalgic culture, was a huge hit. The duet was reignited with their original vocals but still followed the same well-known beat, with a Years & Yearsā twist.
The encore was the hit āKing,ā which the crowd chanted for. The entire venue exploded with vigor and energy during the song as the air was filled with the sound of voices singing along and the space was over taken by dancing bodies. Alexander let the crowd sing along and threw himself into the performance while his band mates Goldsworthy rocked the bass and TĆ¼rkmen powered away on the synth.
When the song was over, the crowd screamed and cheered with ecstasy. Meanwhile Alexander, Goldsworthy and TĆ¼rkmen looked like they were just as pleased with their own performance as the crowd while simultaneously looking like they thought they were going to wake up from a dream at any second.
When the show ended and the crowd dispersed onto the already crowded sidewalks of V Street, passerby stopped some concertgoers to ask what the huge crowd was for. When the response was Years & Years, not some bigger-name Billboard artist, people looked confused and responded they hadnāt heard of them.
They will.
Music & Concerts
Hereās everything queer that just happened at the 67th Grammy Awards
LGBTQ megastars among winners, performers

The 67th Grammy Awards featured debut performances by LGBTQ megastars Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, and Doechii ā all of whom also won awards at Sundayās awards ceremony, making the gay sons and thot daughters of the queer and trans world rejoice.
Though Roan was the only queer artist to take home one of the “Big Four” awards ā Best New Artist, Doechii, Carpenter, Charlie XCX, Billie Eilish, and Lady Gaga were also all nominated for one or more of the “Big Four.”
Carpenter, Roan, and Doechii also shocked audiences with their debut performances, showing us what it really means to be out and loud.
Doechii
The self-proclaimed swamp princess from Florida took home a well-deserved win for Best Rap Album (āAlligator Bites Never Healā).
She stunned audiences with her performance and her speech, dedicating her win to Black women everywhere. Only two other women have won the award ā Lauryn Hill and Cardi B since the category was introduced in 1989.
āI know there are so many Black women out there that are watching me right now and I want to tell you: You can do it. Anything is possible,ā said Doechii during her acceptance speech.
Chappell Roan
Roan won the Best New Artist award, prompting her to whip out her notebook and deliver a speech about her struggles with the healthcare industry after getting dropped by her first record label radicalized her.
On the carpet, she served looks on the red carpet while delivering Jean Paul Gaultier vintage realness and thanking the trans girlies who made her who she is today.
āTrans people have always existed and they will forever exist. They will never, no matter what happens, take trans joy away and [they] have to be protected more than anything because I would not be here without trans girls,ā said Roan on the red carpet.
She also served during her debut Grammys performance, turning Crypto.com Arena into the Pink Pony Club while dedicating the performance to Los Angeles ā the city that embraced her when she wanted to break into the industry. She used her acceptance speech as her opportunity to shine a light on her journey toward becoming the icon she is today ā and to no oneās surprise, it didnāt come easy to her.
Roan opened up about her struggles with healthcare and being dropped as an artist in L.A., leaving her without health coverage and scrambling for solutions. Seems like the healthcare system has radicalized yet another one.
St. Vincent
St. Vincent revealed that she has a wife and daughter during her acceptance speeches, thanking them after winning three Grammys for Best Alternative Music Album (āAll Born Screamingā), Best Alternative Music Performance (āFleaā), and Best Rock Song (āBroken Manā).Ā
During her red carpet interview, reporters asked Clark about the shocking news about her mentioning her wife and daughter, she responded āMost people were [unaware]. Itās young, so weāve kept it under wraps.ā The reporter then continued his line of questioning, meanwhile intrusive thoughts quickly got ahold of Clark, prompting her to interrupt the reporter to clarify that she meant the child is young, not the person in the relationship sheās in.
Girl, youāre good.
Sabrina Carpenter
Though Carpenter didnāt win any of the “Big Four” categories, she did win Best Pop Vocal Album for (āShort nā Sweetā) and Best Pop Solo Performance for (āEspressoā).
According to E!, Carpenterās acceptance speech was apparently censored, cutting her off after she said: āThank you, holy sh*t, bye!ā
The pop star was nominated for Record of the Year (āEspressoā), Song of the Year (āPlease, Please, Pleaseā), Best New Artist, Best Pop Vocal Album (āShort nā Sweetā), Album of the Year (āShort nā Sweetā), Best Remixed Recording (āEspresso – Mark Ronson x FNZ Working Late Remixā), Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical (āShort nā Sweetā) ā all within her first year as a record-releasing musician.
Charli XCX
Charlie XCX truly brought the brat energy to the Grammys with her performance of (āVan Dutchā), also taking home the wins for Best Dance/Pop Recording for (āVan Dutchā) and Best Dance/Electronic Album for (āBratā).
Lady Gaga
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance went to Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars. Gaga used her acceptance speech to advocate for trans people stating that we all need love and to be uplifted.
āTrans people are not invisible. Trans people deserve love. The queer community deserves to be lifted up. Music is love. Thank you,ā said Gaga.
No, thank you mother.
Last, but not least
It is also worth noting that our tried and true ally, Alicia Keys used her moment on the Grammys stage to advocate for the restoration of DEI initiatives.
“This is not the time to shut down the diversity of voices,” said Keys. “We’ve seen on this stage talented, hard-working people from different backgrounds, with different points of view, and it changes the game. DEI is not a threat, it’s a gift ā and the more voices, the more powerful the sound.ā
Music & Concerts
Gay Menās Chorus starting the year with a cabaret
‘Postcards’ to be performed at CAMP Rehoboth

The Gay Menās Chorus of Washington will perform āPostcards,ā a cabaret, on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 5:00p.m. and 8:00p.m. at CAMP Rehoboth Elkins-Archibald Atrium.Ā
In this performance, the choir will share hilarious and heart-warming stories and songs about the travel adventures theyāve had and hope to have. Songs include āMidnight Train to Georgia,ā āStreets of Dublin,ā āMagic To Do,ā āHome,ā and āI Left My Heart in San Francisco.ā Tickets cost $35 and can be purchased on Camp Rehobothās website.
Music & Concerts
WMCās āComfort and Joyā fuses drama, well-being, light
Soloist describes production as āreverent and beautifulā

āComfort and Joyā
Washington Master Chorale
Sunday, Dec. 22, 5 p.m.
Church of the Epiphany
1317 G St., N.W.
washingtonmasterchorale.org
With its warmth and unfettered imagination, itās no surprise that the Washington Master Choraleās enduringly popular winter program remains a holiday favorite.Ā
This December the Washington Master Chorale (WMC), helmed by out artistic director Thomas Colohan presents āComfort and Joyā a selection of British and American works like āLute-Book Lullaby,ā āI Saw Three Ships,ā āPuer Natusā by Samuel Scheidt and āHosanna to the Son of Davidā by Orlando Gibbons.
In addition to these Christmas classics, WMC will perform 2022 Florence Price Commission Winner Mason Bynesās āEphiphanytideā and Äriks EÅ”envaldsā āNorthern Lights,ā the firsthand accounts of arctic explorers Charles Francis Hall and Fridtjof Nansen and their experiences surrounding the fabled aurora borealis.
Described as āreverent and beautifulā by āNorthern Lightsā tenor soloist Opal Clyburn-Miller, āComfort and Joyā fuses drama and well-being, and the import of light.
And as an artist who uses they/them pronouns, Clyburn-Miller says where classical music is concerned, āit seems people are put in their boxes and thatās where they stay.ā They add, āthereās been some progress. Itās pretty much a traditional art form.ā
With regard to their career, Clyburn-Miller, the Baltimore based Peabody Conservatory student, says the work usually comes through word of mouth: āYou show up, youāre a good colleague and people want to work with you again.ā
The solo piece, according to Colohan, is perfect for Clyburn-Miller. The soloist says in response: āMaybe I have the imagination to think of what Northern Lights might look like in Eastern Europe. Iāve never been that far north but I can put myself in that sense of wonder and astonishment.ā
But the gig hasnāt been entirely without its tests. The lyrics are in Latvian, a new language for the meticulous singer.
āItās been a bit tricky getting the Latvian down,ā they say. āUsually in my singing experience, itās been German, Italian and French, and Iām familiar with Spanish and some Hungarian and Russian, but this is entirely new.ā
A perfect chorale venue requires easy parking; good acoustics; a concert level Steinway, and an excellent organ; a sanctuary wide enough to accommodate a 50-person chorale; and audience friendly loos, says Colohan.
The Church of Epiphany meets most if not all of these requirements.
Raised Catholic in Richmond, Colohan came out at Ohioās progressive Oberlin Conservatory. Around this time, he remembers visiting Washington for a music educatorās conference and partying at JR.ās, Badlands, and other bars. He says, āI saw that D.C. had a huge population of clean-cut gay boys. That journey which started with me being gay, prompted me to ask questions.ā
As WMC artistic director since 2009, Colohan, who lives with his partner in Silver Spring, became increasingly interested in secular poetry and literature, especially the ways in which it intersects with chorale music. For him, that became the heart of the art form.
āMy secular approach is wider than some. Iām like the curator of the museum going down to the basement to bring some stuff up. You cannot hear the music if we donāt sing it.ā
Heās remained conservative as an aesthetic but not an ethos. āI can wear a blazer and not be crazy right wing. Spiritually speaking, Iām Zen Buddhist now.ā
A lot of the concert is about darkness and light. Colohan says, āIn ancient times when the world became darker, the days leading to the solstice were scary and then on the 22nd they saw that days were getting longer and it was lighter.ā
āComfort and Joyā closes with a candle lit chorale memorably singing āSilent Night.ā
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