NOTE: All photos are copyright of Howard Shiau Photography 2026
Another year, another chance to see Berlin-based South African indie folk pop artist Alice Phoebe Lou (aka Alice Matthew) as she tours North America. Last year, she toured as part of strongboi (her side project with her keyboardist Ziv Yamin), opening for Men I Trust, and 2024 saw her touring without her band, showing us her acoustic chops, something well developed in her days busking in Berlin. Although she has been offered record deals, she wanted to remain independent and has been self-releasing her music, the last being her sixth studio album Oblivion, released last October. We covered the opening night of her 2024 tour at the Sinclair in Cambridge, Massachusetts and are lucky enough to cover the opening night of her 2026 tour at the Concert Hall in Toronto! For those in the know, Alice also did a record signing and meet and greet at the Sonic Boom record shop the previous evening, gracing eager fans with not only her presence but also performing ELEVEN songs!! That’s another whole concert right there!
The opener was John Andrews and the Yawns….without the Yawns? Ok, the Yawns don’t actually exist in reality except for the rotating group of musicians that help Andrews record his music. The New York based multi-instrumentalist kept things simple, sitting in a chair, played acoustic guitar, and sang. While he said that he performs at coffee shops and homes, sometimes to just a few people, the whole thing gave me a lot of James Taylor vibes down to the storytelling lyrics. There was just one brief interruption when a woman in the front middle fainted and had to be carried out by security. Stay hydrated!!
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Until this point, we hadn’t realized that this Alice Phoebe Lou tour would also be sans backing band. The stage setup was, again, quite simple with guitars and a keyboard ready to go. It would once again be Alice getting close and personal with her fans, with none other than John Andrews playing keys in the background on a couple of songs. If I were to compare the 2024 tour and the 2026 tour, the previous was like a group of friends sitting in Alice’s bedroom as she, dressed in her pajamas, sat on her bed and sang to you. This show was more like a party in her apartment with Alice in a nice dress and her “roommate” Andrews accompanying her sometimes while she sings.
Alice kicked off her set with “Hammer” from her 2023 album Shelter. While she had written a setlist in her little notebook on stage, it seems she pretty much improvised her set. Having had a look at the “setlist”, those 14 songs were moved around a bit, then she played whatever she felt was good for the rest of the evening! She started the first eight songs on acoustic guitar before moving to the keyboards, which she admitted she was nervous about. I’ve seen her play keys on other tours so I’m not sure what made her apprehensive. Of course, she had a flub on “Lately”, the very first song but it was very cute!! After a few songs on keyboards, she moved to the amazing omnichord which she used on “Touch” to great effect! Another few and she was back to acoustic guitar which she used for the rest of the show.
Some special moments during the evening:
1. Alice said she was going to sing a song she hadn’t done in a long time (“How to Get Out of Love” because it’s depressing and might make people cry. Alice quips “But we’re into that right?” and the crowd cheered!
2. She sang a song about a lost friend, something more heartbreaking than other breakups. After all, she had always been a social butterfly but she’s 33 now, even with so many friends, she wishes she had someone to talk to when she really needs it. Oversharing or nerves? We’re just sitting in her living room, right?
3. There was a wonderful moment when she performed a cover of Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon” (she called it a Canadian song!) and asked the audience to sing along. Just beautiful!
4. “Close My Door” was the only song that wasn’t completely acoustic with Alice singing to a musical track. Afterwards, she said that she’s never done karaoke and she considers that her first time.
Of course, towards the end of the set, someone else wasn’t feeling well and had to get to the side for something to drink. Both Alice, the lighting tech, and the venue handled everything so well. The audience in the jam packed Concert Hall was wonderful all night, swaying and singing along, but never too loud as to sing over Alice Phoebe Lou. The one exception was one guy who kept yelling for her to play “Witches”. It was funny for awhile and Alice played along and cracked jokes but it did start to get old. Just before the final song for the night “Witches”, she joked “I almost don’t want to play this song and I think you might understand why”.
Alice Phoebe Lou is one of these artists that is easy to feel close to, even though you’re not. Whether it’s because she feels like the nicest girl in school, an “angel”, or just “one of those witches”, her down to earth personality makes you want to be her best friend. We’ll see you again next year or, who knows, maybe later this year!
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