I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: January 23, 2024] Elliot Lee

Elliot Lee looks like they are about 12 years old. In fact, they are 26 and are simultaneously adorable and, for someone who commands a stage, really nervous-seeming.

I didn’t know anything about Elliot Lee before this show.  I listened to a couple of their songs and wanted to get there early enough to see their set.  I’m glad I did, even if it was only 20 minutes.

They played five songs and when the lights first dimmed a guy in a full on bunny costume (with really long ears) came out and either did nothing or triggered the sounds of the first song “Sicko.”

Elliot came out shortly after wearing a bonnet with small ears.  The whole outfit was wild–striped shirt, colorful bra on the outside and pink ski pants.  And they proceeded to bounce around the stage with abandon.

Her songs are catchy and poppy but with a dark edge.  On record, the production is really sharp with lots going on.  But live, the music was stripped down, letting Elliot’s voice shine.

“Fun” is pretty much a disco song with a dark edge (come to think of it, just like ABBA).

Elliot was pretty clear about what the songs were about, but here’s an article from Outwrite

The melody of “Fun” is boppy and feels like something you would dance to at a club or headbang to at a concert, in line with their electronic rock music style. But under the synth and glitter is Lee’s commentary on being neurodivergent and under the spotlight. According to Lee, the song is about “neurodivergence masquerading as a song about wanting to be famous.” Both neurotypicality and fame are things they say they desire, but know that they would lose an intrinsic part of themself if they achieved. They describe the lives of neurotypical and famous people as “dipped in gold and crystalline” but admit in the bridge that “I know it’s nothing like my dreams.”

Elliot told us that they wrote songs to make themselves happy.  And so, the guy in the bunny suit came out on stage and danced frenetically with her to “Funny Bunny” a Europpop confection that is as irritating as it is undeniably catchy (and super fun to see live).

Things slowed down for “Easy to Be You.” And in another nod to showmanship, the long eared bunny stood behind her and used two bubble-guns to spray hundreds of tiny bubble around the stage during the chorus.  And as the article says, Elliot has a fantastic voice.

Meanwhile, “Easy To Be You” is a slower song that shows off Lee’s vocal range. The heart-wrenching chorus describes Lee envying the way cisgender, heterosexual people get to navigate the world without questioning their gender expression. This song, they say, is specifically for the queer community and the subsequent difficulty that many queer people, especially nonbinary people, experience with self-image. Lee sings that they could “feminize to fit into a standard / But that’s not me, and really I can’t stand her.” In the end, just like “Fun,” the song eventually accepts that queer people — and Lee themself — live outside of the realms of defined gender and sexuality: “I’ve been searching my whole life / For labels that define my mind / But really I live life in multitudes.”

Elliot’s last song “Pink (Freak)” has a Billie Eilish vibe but transcends Eilish in her other songs.  Nevertheless, “Pink” is a fun, dark song with a great beat and sound and they sold it perfectly to end their all-too-brief set.

1. Sicko
2. Fun
3. Funny Bunny
4. Easy to Be You
5. Pink (Freak) ♣

All songs released on “Primordial Archive” (2023) originally ♣ 2020