Dodie performs at The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles on Sept. 23, 2018. Photos: Matthew Eaton

LOS ANGELES – London’s singer-songwriter Dodie Clark scampered onto the Fonda Theatre stage, her feet bare. The singer, who goes by Dodie, eeked out a barely-contained “Hi!”

Dodie performs at The Fonda Theater in Hollywood on Sept. 23, 2018.

Deciding to start with one of her more doey-eyed romantic songs, Dodie and her band kicked off with “Would You Be So Kind.” Her bouncy ukulele set the stage with a happy-go-lucky and upbeat dynamic, as her backing band gradually expanded her minimalist chords with thumping upright bass, silky violin and a double-time drum beat.

From there, she sat down to play the piano on “Party Tattoos,” considerably changing the feel of her ukelele-based studio version. Dodie sang like a librarian reading to children through her soft-spoken vocal tone and nimble arpeggiations. 

The distinction between studio material manifested throughout her set. During the performance of “You,” her violinist worked in a beautiful solo into the otherwise sparse arrangement. It flowed so seamlessly that the only shame is that it didn’t make the record.

The slower tempo ushered in a more sombre aura of self-affirmation and pride. She continuously voiced her appreciation of the LGBTQ pride flags peppered throughout the audience. Fans allowed her to openly express her bisexuality, within a supportive community she created with her music.

Dodie played several instruments during her set. She replaced her favored ukulele with electric and acoustic guitar, which gave her backing band a varied sonic palette to embellish.

Dodie and her band fostered a welcoming ambiance. As she broke down the somber themes of these songs—which were written at “low lows” in her life—she powerfully proclaimed her message that things can and will get better. She espoused her compassion for hopeless romantics with the melancholy folk ballad “Sick of Losing Soulmates.”

Tessa Violet performs at The Fonda Theater in Hollywood on Sept. 23, 2018.

“‘Sick of Losing Soulmates’ is a song I wrote about my best friend, which is hard,” Dodie said of the song about her unrequited love for her best friend and her determination to make him love her back.

Afterward, she performed her recently released tune, “Human,” a heavily atmospheric love song. She followed up her more acoustic rendition with a reminder that this single would accompany an EP toward the beginning of next year.

After several tearjerkers, Dodie brought out her spunky energetic persona to finish the show. The penultimate indie-pop number, “Absolutely Smitten,” felt fitting as fans bounced around. Closing track “In The Middle” ended the night with a particularly quirky storyline about initiating a ménage à trois. It could have been awkward, but instead it was simply fun to dance to.

Opener Tessa Violet provided a counter-foil to Dodie’s reverent folk with a crowd-pleasing set of pop, which crescendoed with “Crush.” Violet started a bit shaky and possibly a bit nervous, but gained confidence as she went along, teaching fans a new song, improvising with mid-song jokes.

Follow writer Vic Silva at Twitter.com/VicSilvaaaa. Follow photographer Matthew Eaton at Twitter.com/MattnSoCal.