LIVE REVIEW: Loveless’ Sold Out stop at The Social in Orlando Florida

Photos and Review by: Joanna Foster

Lineup: Loveless

Venue: The Social, Orlando, FL

Date: June 3, 2023

Loveless brought all of the heart, energy, soaring vocals, and fun to a sold out tour stop at The Social in Orlando, Florida. Loveless embarked on the US portion of their world tour back in May, showcasing their new album End of an Era as well as treating audiences to much-loved tracks from their first album. The band was born after lead singer Julian Comeau found almost overnight success by creating pop punk covers of popular songs on TikTok. While that might be how Julian and Loveless got started, this band has so much more to give than just song covers. With two albums released that contain original music and lyrics, always giving Julian a chance to put his impressive vocals on display, this band has stepped out from underneath the “TikTok cover band” label and earned their place in the emo pop punk/alternative rock scene as the next big thing.

Julian maintains a very connected social media presence with his fans, and it was clear to see that connection between him and the audience throughout the entire night. The crowd squeezed into every last available space in the sold out venue, and there was a very special sense of community that was evident among all of the people crowded together. Many fans communicate with each other and the band regularly online, and this was something of a meet up for many of them with a lot of fans seeing multiple dates on the tour. The audience was excited and anxious but also having fun and laughing with each other as they waited for the show to start. The band has cultivated an inclusive, kind, and loving environment through social media, and that carried through beautifully to the fans seeing each other in person.

Julian has the stage presence of a seasoned pro, and he brought all of the charisma and energy needed for a show in a venue that’s three times the size. He beckoned often for crowd participation, turning the mic to the audience, but there was really no need because the audience was already singing along with every word to every song. He interacted frequently with the fans, stopping to sing or make a face directly into someone’s phone, and he paused for banter and conversation from time to time much to the delight of the crowd. The show was intimate but large at the same time. The only stage prop was a large banner with the Loveless broken heart logo on it, but they didn’t need any more than that. The band was energetic, constantly moving, with Julian working the entire section of the small stage during every song. Dylan Tirapelli-Jamail, multi-instrumentalist and the other member of the Loveless duo played and sang passionately from his section of the stage, and Groove Juggernaut (Stephen Haaker), drummer, enthusiastically head banged and hair flipped behind the drum kit throughout the night.

Loveless brought a setlist full of songs from the new album and first album, playing some huge favorites including Worst Case Scenario, Lighthouse, and A Thousand Reasons, and the crowd loved it, constantly singing along and cheering. The band brings the same level of talent and musicianship that you hear on their recorded songs. The live performance of the tracks had all of the same vocal prowess that a fan has come to expect while listening to the albums or watching the short videos Julian posts on social media. Julian never shied away from hitting the soaring high notes, providing even more evidence that this band deserves to be selling out shows across the country.

Before ending the night, Loveless treated the audience to a live performance of their yet un-released (at the time) new single I Hope I’m Not Sick, and there’s nothing better than getting that live sneak preview of a song that few have been able to hear yet. The audience was as enthusiastic about the song as they were the tried and true hits that were played throughout the night, and it was easy to see the band’s excitement to share this new single. The song is now available to stream along with a music video that can be found here.

Catch Loveless at Lollapalooza in August before they head overseas to Australia, Europe and the UK. Tickets for the tour can be found here, and I highly recommend seeing them live!