070 Shake performed with opener and composer Johan Lenox on June 7th at El Rey Theater in Los Angeles. Both performances were stellar. Lenox’s ability to captivate the crowd as an opener was astounding, heads were bobbing following intensely with Lenox’s coming of age lyrical journey of what it’s like to grow up as he says “while the world is ending”. The dark and relatable themes of growing up present themselves on his setlist with gems like ‘Get My Shit Together’, ‘I’m A Mess’, and ‘No One Gets Me’ off his debut album ‘WDYWTBWYGU (What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up). He performed older songs off his 2019 EP ‘everybody’s cool but me’ like ‘i don’t do drugs anymore’ which fit the thrilling theme of his set. With professional violinists to join him on stage paired with his piano playing and sonically mesmerizing beat tracks, Lenox proves that he isn’t keeping the title of opener for very long and is cultivating a powerful path with his music. ……… Now let’s talk about the headliner, 070 Shake. The venue was absolutely perfect to experience her perform an intimate show but I think her voice is so gratifying that it should be filling stadiums. She is instantly able to grab the audience’s attention with her part in Kanye West’s ‘Violent Crimes’. However, she proved that she is way more than just a Kanye prodigy. Her track ‘Skin & Bones’ off her new album ‘You Can’t Kill Me’ is the perfect single with catchy and haunting lyrics: ‘You treat me like i’m more than a pair of skin and bones and that really made a difference in my story’. She sang a good amount of songs from her debut ‘Modus Vivendi’ including ‘Guilty Conscience’ ‘Microdosing’, ‘Morrow’, ‘Under The Moon’, and ‘Flight319’. These songs were all fantastic and never left the crowd's ears unsatisfied. She closed the show with, of course, the ending of Kanye’s ‘Ghost Town’. A highlight of Shake as a performer was her ability to remind the crowd to be in the moment and not focus on filming the whole concert. She also encouraged spreading love amongst the audience and had a very strong ability to share that positivity. She also mentioned that her goal in music is not to be the best out of every artist but to the be best that she could be for herself as an artist. This is one of the most genuine statements that I’ve ever heard a performer give out during a show. This was definitely one of the best shows at a smaller venue that I had the pleasure of experiencing. Shoutout to @070shake & @johanlenox for a great show!
