Show Review: Declan Mckenna
By Kayla Aquino-Gualderama
Declan Mckenna | 3.25.18 | The Boardwalk | Orangevale,California
We all love a cute British boy with floppy hair and thick eyelashes. Just add eyeliner, glitter, a thrifted top (or dress!), and your dream queen has been created.
Declan and his band has made their way to California, in a venue that seems to barely cap itself at maybe 200 people. The intimacy is real, and we cannot contain our excitement. Not only are we in a place the size of our living rooms, there is no barricade. Even better. Not exactly for me, as the photo pit is non existent! Luckily, a handful of amazing girls allowed me to stand front row in front of them to capture the magic! One thing is for sure, Declan’s fans are The absolute sweetest angels. Just like him.
Some time after, the boy attempts to sing another. We are all just too excited to hear him speak, and shout our love out to him. He begins to be flustered with smiles and rosy cheeks, as he’s blushing like no tomorrow! The room is filled with giggles and glitter, and it’s almost hard to continue. Finally, he is about to sing. Right before the first word, a girl yells, “DAD!” And the entire room erupts in laughter. He is officially done with our shenanigans, and is only about to join us along with it to create more.
Declan’s sparkly, gold guitar is then switched with an acoustic, which could only mean one thing. “Make Me Your Queen” is in full swing, and everyone in the room instantly became royalty. Still, we struggle to keep our mouths shut, and he jokes about having a specific set list order he has to follow, and that he’ll chat with us soon. Once began, of course he could only talk about what truly matters most: Memes.
“All good memes must die, unless they’re morbid ones.” We all agree, except for one person. “You’re a dead meme!”
Declan claps back, “You literally paid to see my show, you dragged yourself!” Easily, that was the happiest moment of her life. Next thing we know, Harambe is the topic of discussion. In Declan’s nutshell, Harambe should not have died due to our irresponsibility and irrational love for weapons that should not be in our possession. He fashionably ended his argument with, “And that’s the tea.” Applause.
The show went on, melodic and intimate, which gave a very safe and comforting feeling. He played his hits, “Humongous”, “Brazil”, and many others that are just too good to compare to each other. Yellow balloons are flowing, everyone’s glitter highlight is glowing in the light, emotions are running high.
Declan took the time to meet fans after the show, and took pictures. Wearing his sweat disheveled makeup and vintage Mickey Mouse sweater he had told us he thrifted, he still managed to look sweet, sincere, and so inviting. All love, all smiles.
Be sure to listen to Declan McKenna’s album What Do You Think About The Car?, available on all music platforms.