Editor’s Note: This article is a review and includes subjective thoughts, opinions and critiques.
English artist Dev Hynes, aka Blood Orange, closed a sold-out, three-night stint at The Warfield in San Francisco for the third part of his “Essex Honey” Tour with a heartfelt and sensational performance on Sept. 11. Hynes’ rich artistry and selflessness was on full display as he rotated between instruments and shared the spotlight with his band, giving them a chance to shine.
“Essex Honey,” Hynes’ fifth and most recent studio album, explores themes of grief and youth and came in the wake of his mother’s death in 2023. The album cover features a schoolboy walking on the street — his striped tie blowing in the wind as he clutches a basketball in one hand and a phone and CD in the other — seemingly calling back to Hynes’ childhood as he reflects on his past and future. Though the subjects are heavy, the musical arrangements remain light, forming the melancholic groove that Hynes is known for.
Hynes’ music speaks directly to what younger generations are experiencing today: loss, complex relationships and a desire for escapism. In concert, this sense of relatability created an intimate atmosphere with a collective euphoria.
Throughout the performance, Hynes artfully kept the crowd engaged, oscillating between slower songs about loss and identity and more upbeat hits that dipped into longing and complicated relationships, like “Champagne Coast.” Originally released in 2011, the hit song gained popularity and achieved platinum status last year after going viral on TikTok.
Leading up to the sold-out show, fans waited in anticipation, forming a line that stretched down the street and wrapped around the block. Their outfits matched the spectrum of Hynes’s music. A recurring combination of boots, mini skirts and tank tops represented his indie pop approach. Others donned tote bags and hats with political messages such as quotes from Malcolm X’s “Message to the Grass Roots” — connecting to Hynes’s identity as a queer, Black artist, which has shaped his artistry and dedication to marginalized communities, as emphasized in prior albums like 2016’s “Freetown Sound” (which is also the capital of Sierra Leone, his father’s birthplace) and 2018’s “Negro Swan.”
“Blood Orange changed my life!” one fan — the same one donning the aforementioned Malcolm X bag — yelled while going through the security line.
With guitar in hand, Hynes kicked off with the honey-toned and spunky “I Wanna C U” before shifting behind his Moog-one synthesizer to craft the atmospheric echoes of “Somewhere in Between.” His voice layered above the echoes, Hynes sang from a place between memories of his childhood, visions of the future and trying to find balance after his mother’s passing.
Hynes managed this back-and-forth between instruments with ease — a testament to his musical fluency. His cover of Bjork’s “All is Full of Love,” which he performed solo on the cello, demonstrated his prowess. Whereas the original features a techno-glittery affect, Hynes’ rendition was earthy and sonorous; his vocals carried above the richness of the cello as the background track repeated the line “all is full of love” with the lightness and reverb of a church choir.
Behind Hynes was a projected screen which cut between videos ripe with English nostalgia. When the primarily American crowd caught sight of English footballer Jude Bellingham, they quickly got with the program, bursting into cheers. The video ended with the phrase “Love, England, Youth & Music,” a sentiment embodying the major thematic undercurrents of the album.
In the middle of the concert, Hynes performed “Countryside,” focused on his desire to escape the city to hide in the fields and, as the lyrics say, “seek comfort in the leaves.” If the responding applause was any indication, the message resonated with the audience — who, perhaps, were looking to leave behind their own baggage.
At a moment in pop culture when concerts are dominated by fanfare, whether celebrity guest appearances or a rotating selection of surprise songs, Hynes’ performance was refreshingly understated and disarmingly earnest. Little occupied the stage besides a series of pulsating light fixtures, the band and Hynes’ own “backup” singers — Eva Tolkin and Ian Isiah, the latter of whom was one of two openers.
Unlike with traditional backup singers, Hynes deliberately stepped back to allow Tolkin and Isiah to sing center-stage, particularly on crowd favorites like “You’re Not Good Enough.” Tolkin, with her sleek sunglasses and sleeker bob, and Isiah, with his cheeky “I can’t hear you” hand gestures, sauntered across the stage and encouraged audience members to get up and dance, which they eagerly did.
Even pianist Tariq Saleem Al-Sabir received a vocal solo during “Countryside,” showcasing his melodic voice to enthusiastic cheers from the crowd.
Hynes ended the show without an encore and then took the microphone to give thanks to the band, the sound technicians, the venue and the audience. It was an act of humility that reflected a deep care for the craft. And it was reminiscent of another striking scene during the concert when Hynes, after finishing his solo, said amen.
