Suki Waterhouse performs at ACL Live at The Moody Theatre in Austin, Texas on Oct 18, 2024. Photo by Rick Kern/Getty Images.

SAN FRANCISCO — Model, actress and singer Suki Waterhouse isn’t done metamorphosing yet. The English artist brought her Sparklemuffin Tour to the Warfield on Friday.

Waterhouse combined her expertise in aesthetics to tell a story with her music. Just as her new album, Memoir of a Sparklemuffin, has a cinematic concept, so did the stage production. Vast amounts of plants and lush greenery took over the stage, giving the feel of a jungle as the background changed from various hues of purples, pinks, blues and oranges.

“San Francisco!” she yelled as opening song “Gateway Drug” ushered in the magic with its heavy guitar riffs. The atmosphere embodied the carefree nature of the spider for which the album is named. There was even a giant web backdrop.

Suki Waterhouse performs at ACL Live at The Moody Theatre in Austin, Texas on Oct 18, 2024. Photo by Rick Kern/Getty Images.

“Who here knows what a sparklemuffin is, just out of curiosity?” Waterhouse asked, emphasizing how the the album, as with life, is a journey filled with love and loss, but worth going on.

Waterhouse’s persona was bold and fierce. Clad in an oversized faux fur coat paired with a top with bold sparkle details, she was backed by a full band.

“Big Love” was raw both lyrically and musically, with guitars squealing to Waterhouse’s soft vocals. The tempo and tone shifted a bit with “Moves,” from 2022 album I Can’t Let Go , as the audience sang along to the chorus. “Good Looking” was a dreamy throwback to 2017, when the artist was still getting started as a singer.

Even during more melancholy songs, Waterhouse commanded the room. Whether she was playing piano, cracking jokes or acting like she herself was attending a concert, it brought joy. During “OMG” she danced around the stage, punching and kicking the air while belting the chorus.

Suki Waterhouse performs at ACL Live at The Moody Theatre in Austin, Texas on Oct 18, 2024. Photo by Rick Kern/Getty Images.

For “Johanna,” a fan in a black robe with feather detailing was ushered onstage to sing and dance along to the song. The two played off each other with a dramatic flair as they sang. Later, she stopped talking when she noticed a dog in the audience, pranced around during “Blackout Drunk” and :Fun,” and channeled her inner-Texan as she strummed a guitar and chanted “Think Twice” with a twang.

“You guys don’t know how incredibly lucky I feel,” she said toward the end of her hourlong set before kicking into ballad “To Love.” She kept the dialog and story going while her guitarist played an impressive solo.

The grand finale was a powerful rendition of “Model, Actress, Whatever,” with its dreamy chorus. “Fighting off the lows, breathing in the highs/ Call me a lover, disaster, whatever,” Waterhouse sang.

Alicia Bognanno of Bully performs at ACL Live at The Moody Theatre in Austin, Texas on Oct 18, 2024. Photo by Rick Kern/Getty Images.

Nashville singer-songwriter Alicia Bognanno opened the show with her band Bully. The 40-minute set began with a bang and was filled with hard-hitting rock songs, such as earworm “All I Do,” and the rich and garage-y “Change Your Mind.” Now a solo project following the departures of bandmates Stewart Copeland, Reece Lazarus and Clayton Parker, Bognanno was supported by touring musicians.

One of the highlights came when the rest of the band sat back while she delivered newer single “Atom Bomb” solo on a piano, which allowed her voice to shine. The music spoke for itself here, and Bognanno spoke little; only address the crowd a couple of times.

“I like San Francisco. I like coming here,” she said.

Follow writer Vera Maksymiuk at Twitter.com/veramaksymiuk.