november 26, 2024 — los angeles, california

Irish singer-songwriter Orla Gartland concluded her North American tour with a sold-out show in Los Angeles on November 26th. The iconic Troubadour hosted Gartland’s *THE HERO* tour with support from Emma Harner. Gartland, who has received the stamp of approval from the likes of Elton John, was eagerly awaited by the packed house. Gartland impressed not only musically but with stage presence. She was passionate and personable; there was so much joy among the rest of her band as well, and most definitely bubbling up amongst her fans.

The set list spanned across Gartland’s discography, with Gartland herself saying she struggled to narrow down which tracks to bring to the stage. Energies were high as the show opened with “Kiss Ur Face Forever”, an angsty indie-rock track from her recently released album, ‘Everybody Needs a Hero’. There’s an infectious element to Gartland’s music, and even by the end of the second song of the night, “Codependency”, it was clear this party would not be one to stop.

However, Gartland seemed happy to slow things down as her band left the stage for a few slower songs. She joked that you could always tell when you were about to hear the saddest songs when you saw the band leave. The mood stayed low as she performed her viral hit 2019 single “Why Am I Like This?”. The song would be hard not to recognize, and it certainly seemed to be a favorite amongst those in attendance. The track had featured in an integral scene during first season of Heartstopper, a hit UK television show, and was even viral on TikTok. Fans waved phone lights and swayed together for the duration, showcasing the deep connection not only between themselves and Gartland’s music, but with one another.

Gartland brought out Emma Harner, her fellow ginger and the opener for the tour. The two sang one of Gartland’s songs with just Harner on acoustic guitar, after which the band returned to the stage. With them came a spinning carnival wheel of different songs. Gartland explained that to cheat the system of which songs she would play on tour, she created an interactive game where fans could join her on stage to spin the wheel and select that night’s song. The only catch was that you had to dance with her before you could spin. A sound engineer and friend had the honor of the first spin as it was the last night of the tour, and Gartland was kind enough to give the wheel a little nudge so it landed on his choice— the only time she has “cheated” the wheel.

By the end of the night, Gartland had delivered an exciting night of music, fun, and what seemed to be a strong community. Between sets and after the show, fans were heard expressing their adoration and excitement for everything to come. During the show Gartland teased a return to Los Angeles in the spring of 2025, which I’ll surely be in attendance for. In the meantime, she’ll be preparing for the UK and European leg of tour set for March and April.