Photos: Suki Waterhouse paints the Orpheum red

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      On August 8th, English singer-songwriter, model, and actress Suki Waterhouse brought The Loveland Tour to the Orpheum Theatre.

      Waterhouse delivered a commanding stage presence with unmatched production design and lighting. She completely immersed the audience from start to finish, making the night extra special with a surprise guest.

      Waterhouse has made a name for herself in multiple industries, modelling for fashion brands like Burberry, Tommy Hilfiger, Hugo Boss, and acting in movies like Love, RosieThe Divergent Series: Insurgent, and Detective Pikachu. Waterhouse embarked on her music career in 2016, going on to open up for Taylor Swift and Laufey, and releasing three studio albums.

      Her most recent release, Loveland, sees Waterhouse lean into romance, with warm and dreamy production. With 11 out of the 20 songs from the setlist coming from the new release, the singer put the new album at the forefront, though fan favourites still got a chance to shine throughout the night.

      Opening with “Supersad”, Waterhouse commanded the room off the rip, emerging onto the stage wearing a red ruffled coat and sunglasses. Moving to the front of the stage, with the help of a stage fan, her hair fluttered with the breeze almost in slow motion, adding to the dreaminess of the music and stage production.

      Production design was top-notch, with lush curtains, bushes with string lights, and the centrepiece—a heart-shaped disco ball pierced by arrows that shimmered behind the singer. The Orpheum felt like a perfect match for the Victorian-esque theming Waterhouse was trying to go for. The singer and her band added to the romanticism of the evening with a glass of red wine by their side.

      Waterhouse ran through some of her fan favourites like “My Fun”, getting the crowd waving their arms back and forth, and “Moves”, teasing the crowd to “seize the moment and make some moves tonight.” During “Good Looking", she dropped down from the stage and made her way up and down the bottom orchestra up close with the audience.

      Toward the end of the set, as a complete surprise to the audience, the singer brought out actress Ella Bright from the hit series Off Campus to duet her song “Girl That I Am” with Waterhouse for its first live performance. While a curveball, the collaboration made perfect sense as Off Campus is currently filming its second season in the city, and Waterhouse has done a rendition of “Girl That I Am” on the recently released official soundtrack album of the show. As the final note rang out, the two embraced in a tight hug as the crowd gave an overwhelming ovation.

      Waterhouse then brought it back to Loveland with the title track “Loveland”, “Puppy Dog Eyes,” and “Weirdo” before ending the night with “To Love”. The singer gave it everything she had, showcasing some of her most emotional and commanding vocals of the set, while using her last bit of energy to dance around and show gratitude by blowing kisses to the audience.

      Suki Waterhouse nailed the divide between spectacle and intimacy. The Orpheum felt like the perfect venue, with fans rarely recording on their phones and engaged with the singer for every moment of it—quite a rare sight these days. With a captivating stage presence and the addition of a special duet with Ella Bright, fans would be hard-pressed to find anything to complain about after a night like that.

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