Rex Goes Live!

IG LIVE CONCERT REVIEW

By Alix Sholomon and Elie Weitzman

To say that we were excited about this Instagram Live performance is an understatement. After a year of silence, save for some extremely cryptic tweets, the indie world finally heard from its crown prince: Rex Orange County. Last year, at the beginning of quarantine, we would FaceTime each other waiting for Rex to go live and give an exclusive performance, in which he would take audience suggestions for songs to play on piano or guitar. These were interactive and incredible, and this comeback — announced in honor of the four-year anniversary of his second album Apricot Princess — was nothing short of that. 

Among the songs played were “Pluto Projector,” “Happiness,” and even a new untitled song that will appear on his highly-anticipated next album, which he revealed has been completely finished and will be released later this year. Many of his older songs actually hit harder knowing that he recently split from the woman who he wrote them about. At times, a sad glance could be caught in his eyes as he sang lyrics that no longer applied in the same way as when they were first written, but for the most part, it was all smiles from the young musician. One of the things we most adore about this is that Rex doesn’t go on live just to promote his album. He does it because he loves performing. It’s been over a year since concerts or even large public performances were allowed in most of the world, meaning that his opportunities to do what he loves most have been few and far between. Additionally, our opportunities to see him do it have been even fewer. However, this Live session, albeit short, was a fun and bright display of his talent and passion. We can’t wait for the next one to come around. 9/10