Carol Ades Creates A Safe Space At The Moroccan Lounge
los angeles, california - november 6th, 2024
Photo via Carol Ades.
Photo via Carol Ades. Shot by Jamie-Lee B.
Last Wednesday, singer-songwriter Carol Ades stopped by The Moroccan Lounge in LA for the fourth show of her headline tour. Making her rounds across the U.S. and Canada, Ades debuted performances from her most recent record Late Start. With a strong coming-of-age theme stringing the collection of songs together, her set design supported this sense of whimsical play. Stitched stars dangled above the stage as a quilted banner that read “Carol Ades” served as the main backdrop, creating a familiar and safe space for confiding with close friends. Various fairy-sized houses composed of pink, white, green, and laced fabrics sat on the corners of the stage, illuminated by a little light source inside. It was a village of intricate details that breathed tangible life into Ades’ stories. Think Mary Engelbreit’s reading room meshed with the March sister’s dinner party decor– darling and inviting.
Rushing onto the stage to the atmospheric hums of “Dreams (Reprise),” Ades immediately expressed gratitude to the crowd, excitedly shrieking “This is so cool!” before diving into the glittering number. She donned her signature schoolgirl outfit along with the rest of her bandmates– the cherry on top to the entire setup, and a taste of what the evening would hold. Transitioning into “I’m Having Fun” ignited a cathartic surge of jumps and dances, its upbeat tempo being the backing force behind the track’s wavering celebration of entering adulthood. Despite the head-bobbing anthem, Ades consoled the audience by shouting its lines “I'm wiping my tears on an old sweatshirt / I know it hurts / Oh I know it hurts” whilst simultaneously skipping around the stage.
Photo via Carol Ades. Set design by Selah Brimmage.
Before the show, fans passed around slips of paper that read “Nobody loved you like we love you“ which was to be held out for the MUNA-inspired track “Everything Else Is Just Noise.” “Oh my god you guys, I just started!” Ades screamed into the mic as each person proudly waved the signs in the air– a sweet and tender moment between her and her fans. “You guys have no business being that fucking nice. That is so sweet!” she gushed at the end.
While the day of the show fell on the morning of election results, Ades made sure to hold the audience a bit closer: “This album and this tour is really inspired by coming-of-age, and my coming-of-age story, right. These big questions that I’ve been thinking a lot about, and today of all days: ‘Who am I? And is someone gonna tell me, or what?’ So we’re gonna sing some songs, we’re gonna escape the world for an hour or so, and hopefully, you all feel like the main character a little bit.”
For “Hope Is A Scary Thing,” she reached her hand out and didn’t let go until we were ready. The deep and velvety strings danced alongside her vocals, its lyrics pondering once again the search for a guidebook to life’s never-ending curveballs. “We’re gonna play some old songs and I’m gonna take off my shoes” Ades giggled before diving into beloved tracks like “Crying During Sex” and “Free,” prompting some of the loudest cheers of the evening.
“Sadtown USA” made more room for the audience to lean into the sadness that carried over from the morning: “I woke up this morning and I was so fucking sad. I didn’t know what to do, and I still don’t know what to do right now. At least I usually know how to feel, and I don’t even know how to feel. And then I remembered that sometimes the best thing you can feel is just so fucking sad.” As crunchy guitar chords swirled around the room, Ades brought forth unified voices as everyone hummed along to lyrics that resonated so deeply.
From a touching duet for “Save The Sad Part For Later” done by Ades and her partner Madelene, also known as LonelyTwin who produced the singer’s project, to the intimate exchanges between a daughter and her mother in “Mom Song,” the curtains for the evening began to slowly shut. Finishing with “Late Start” and “Dreams” lifted the room off of the ground and into the clouds, leaving everyone in high spirits and the sweet, final opportunity to jump around like a kid again.
Ades is the friend who checks in to see how you’re doing, provides backstory during moments you weren’t present for, embraces your feelings no matter how intense, and is unafraid to break down her walls with you. All that to say, Ades’ show was the perfect slumber-party fix.
If you feel like frolicking in a bed of flowers or are in need of a shoulder to cry in, you can still catch Ades on the LATE START tour, where she will play shows until her finale in Salt Lake City on December 4th.
