Beth Jeans Houghton, the creative polymath behind the Du Blonde moniker has not had it easy. In fact, the path to this sold out performance has been anything but smooth. Recent years have seen her navigate significant challenges, including public disputes with record labels and candid struggles with her own health, making tonight’s appearance particularly poignant.

Four albums into her Du Blonde phase and after a 5 year gap is, in effect, touring both 2021’s ‘Homecoming’ record and last year’s ‘Sniff More Gritty’, the set is choc full of the scuzzed up melodies and brashy shout-a-long choruses which have epitomised both albums. Starting tonight with ‘Perfect’ with its raw and infectious pop sensibilities the musical tone of the evening is set. With it’s harmonised mantra of “a quiet, a simple, a pretty, a better type of me” the theme of self-creation is eloquently presented and visually amplified by the undeniable sense of caricature woven into the Du Blonde persona – a playful exaggeration that teeters on the edge of theatricality. However, it never quite tumbles into feeling overly staged or hollow. Instead, it adds a compelling layer to the experience, highlighting a deeper artistic intention beneath the bold presentation. While Du Blonde’s promotional imagery and album artwork cultivate a persona of a wild, untamed ‘rock’ child, Houghton’s on-stage anecdotes paint a far more relatable and endearingly quirky picture. Far from tales of rock and roll debauchery – there are no biting bats’ heads here – Houghton regales the audience with a story about a spider cohabiting in the corner of her bedroom. This charmingly domestic revelation, offered after a surprisingly earnest discussion about a moth infestation and her subsequent guilt in dealing with it, showcases a delightful self-deprecation.   

Houghton’s on-stage chatter often brings to mind the candid charm of Self Esteem, forging a powerful connection with the audience. This bond isn’t built on rock-star posturing, but rather on a shared understanding of life’s absurdities, collective feelings of love, loss, and the everyday struggles in between. The audience reception that greets every song tonight is a clear testament to this rapport. A particularly memorable moment of audience participation comes during ‘Yesterday’. Preceding the song by explaining its rather personal meaning, like chatting to mates down a pub. When Houghton delivers the chorus line, “There comes a time where you’ve gotta spot a fly and swat it,” a couple in the front row enthusiastically begin dancing and waving actual fly swatters in the air. Like mates having a laugh with each other through the darkness with what life can throw at them, this unexpected piece of theatre visibly amuses Houghton, who playfully asks if she can take one home. 

Musically, the set doesn’t stray too far from the fully charged, power chord thrust of much of the last two records though older track ‘Angel’ makes an appearance, it’s guitar riff pleasingly needling away throughout. The show truly hits its stride in the final third. Following an airing of the fabulously bouncy and cathartic “I’m Glad That We Broke Up” – a track co-written by Ezra Furman, who, by a stroke of gig-night serendipity, is playing the upstairs venue, Chalk, on this very same evening – the energy in the room soars even further. The acerbic ‘TV Star’ with it’s power pop chorus rollicks along whilst the set culminates in a truly anthemic rendition of “All the Way,” a hugely epic number that predictably elicts a mass singalong, leaving the crowd united in voice and appreciation for Du Blonde’s triumphant return. Du Blonde isn’t merely back on the road; she’s a fiery, fiercely honest, and utterly vital force, and tonight feels like a powerful, joyous reclamation. 

Website: dublonde.co.uk
Facebook: facebook.com/DuBlondeOfficial
Instagram: instagram.com/du.blonde

Words: Chris Horton
Photo: Andy Briggs