Indigo De Souza takes crowd on journey @ Skully's Music Diner
columbus, ohio - April 7, 2024
Swathed in blue light, Indigo De Souza seemed to float on stage at Skully’s Music Diner in Columbus, OH. After her initial ascent was met with a chorus of cheers, the crowd fell quiet as she began to strum the enchanting melody to her unreleased song, “be my love.” With the layered instrumentals and De Souza’s smooth vocals, it was as if the artist was beckoning the audience to come with them on a journey.
An indie-pop singer-songwriter from Asheville, NC, Indigo De Souza is known for their honest lyricism and versatile, energetic voice. She brought the audience exactly that in her second song of the night, “All of This Will End,” starting the first verse softly, then moving into passionate, powerful singing as she delivered the titular line “Who gives a fuck? / All of this will end.”
Photo: Levi Saderholm
She kept the energy high with “Wasting Your Time” and a shift to orange lighting, giving the venue a new fiery glow. The crowd began to dance in time with the beat, nodding along and moving to the music. By the time they played “Parking Lot,” everyone was singing along, belting out relatable lyrics such as “And I’m not sure what is wrong with me / But it’s probably just hard to be a person feeling anything.”
After the fourth song, De Souza giggled and thanked the audience before moving into the next number, “How I Get Myself Killed.” One of their most popular songs, as soon as she sang the opening line the crowd erupted in screams of excitement. The heavy guitar radiated through the venue.
After the song’s conclusion, they asked the audience if anyone in the room was having “the best day of their life?” To this, a large portion of the crowd began shouting, and De Souza laughed and asked, “Really?” The crowd continued to cheer. Her stage presence was one of ease and comfort, contributing to a fun, bubbly atmosphere despite the deep, sorrowful topics of some of her songs. That is always a question when attending a show for an artist whose songs are not always necessarily upbeat — can they still create an enjoyable show climate? Indigo De Souza proved that they could, striking the perfect balance between serious songs yet lighthearted vibes.
Her next performance was of another unreleased song which she didn’t offer a title for. It seems that this is a song they debuted live at some point on this tour, offering the audience a glimpse into potential new music. Everyone listened, enraptured, breaking into cheers at the pause in instruments for De Souza’s acapella lyrics, “Love for me transcends.”
She kept up banter with the audience, not afraid to call out her ex as being an “asshole” in telling the story behind her next song. She called him “one of the worst people” that she’d ever met, and upon telling the audience that he was a model, it seemed that everyone groaned “Ugh!” in unison. Upon responding to someone in the crowd by saying “Thanks, I’m sorry it happened to me too,” De Souza seamlessly began what turned out to be a stellar performance of “You Can Be Mean.”
A hush fell over the audience for the next piece, “Good Heart.” Arguably the highlight of the night, the first verse was slow and breathy. Her voice and instrumentals rose in volume and intensity as the song went on. By the time she sang some of the last lines of the song, “I'm nothing but trouble, watching you sleep / Brushing your teeth and laughing at me,” the music was all-encompassing, thrumming through the bones of every crowd member.
As quickly as the song began, it ended, and Indigo De Souza began the short, upbeat introduction for “Smog.” A crowd favorite, it seemed, the whole room sang along and began jumping up and down at the beginning of the first chorus.
Yet another unreleased song followed “Smog.” Again, the audience was captured by previously unheard lyrics and melodies and was quiet — not for lack of enjoyment but rather to purposefully listen to the new music.
For “Not My Body,” the vibes were quieter, more somber. They awed the crowd with impressively high vocals. Following the astonishing ending to “Not My Body,” she played her final unreleased song of the night, then moved into “Younger & Dumber.” Her vocals here were earnest and passionate, full of raw emotion. For the first chorus, they harmonized beautifully with one of the band members singing backup, calling out, “Which way will I run when I want something new? / I don't feel at home in this house anymore.”
Before their final song of the night, Indigo De Souza offered thanks to various team members including their band and sound technician, among others.
The last song performed was “Kill Me,” and it was certainly a show-stopping ending. April 7 in Columbus was the second to last show on her 2024 tour of her third studio album, All of This Will End. As evident from the performance, Indigo De Souza is seasoned on the stage and provides a powerful, engaging presence. Their unique sound and compelling lyrics translate wonderfully to live performance — future music and tours should be highly anticipated and looked forward to.