Blood Orange Shines at Bayou Music Center in Houston
Show Review ★ Danny Pedraza★ @jaydpedraza★ 5 Minutes
Dev Hynes has always maintained a natural spot outside of what is considered the norm in music, from mid-2000’s efforts in the London pop-post-punk fusion band Test Icicles to more personal solo projects like Lightspeed Champion. Hynes’ career in music has always flourished in a space most artists could only maintain for an album, but as they fade away, his neon glow has always seemed to remain amongst the musical canon.
In 2011, he introduced the world to his most dedicated project to this day: Blood Orange. With his debut album, Coastal Grooves, it felt like his full artistic vision was finally realized in a mature effort that showcased every artist trick he picked up on his journey so far from London to New York. From 2011 till 2019, Hynes’ sound existed on the plain of where sweetness resides. From the dark corners of European nightclubs to the early morning sun-lit living room of a house party, even to the sunny beaches during the last weekend of summer, Blood Orange guided you.
On August 29th, 2025 that sound you missed returned in the album Essex Honey. Hynes’ most personal project to date takes inventory of his life during his return back home. While in the midst of personal strife, he examines the place he grew up in and the memories attached in order to face the mixed emotions that stem from aging, self doubt, and grief. Seven months later on a rain soaked night in March, a venue full of people packed into Houston’s Bayou Music Center awaiting to witness what kind of performance the enigmatic Blood Orange would bring with this new album.
Among the heads of the crowd in general admission, smoke emerged from perched lips facing the ceiling, friends’ faces were illuminated by the light of a selfie, and on the surrounding balcony level people stood in lines in the glowing walkways awaiting to take their seats. All these people of different ages, stood watching concert opener Tariq Al-Sabir’s intimate performance, as for the closing moments he was joined by Dev Hynes on guitar.
Quietly the set ended, the venue had filled up completely and the new faces were greeted with what can be best described as deconstructed chamber jazz music from last opener TLF Trio. Hailing from Denmark, the crowd embraced the trio consisting of a cellist, pianist, and guitarist for their sheer absurdity that took place. In the span of thirty minutes, the trio turned the dark venue into a blue sanctuary with their repeating musical motifs that drew a trance from the crowd, not out of boredom but from the acceptance of this foreign music. People danced, some stood in awe with their mouths open and eyes wide, I was the latter in fact as for a full song I let my camera hang from my neck and took a seat on photographer’s side of the barricade.
As the trio made their way off the stage, the crowd packed in even more tightly to each other. For another thirty minutes, the crowd watched as the stage hands set up the equipment on stage while natural noises and sounds of footsteps on wood played from the PA. A couple minutes after the sound of the Spotify pause noise played over the PA, sending the crowd into a sparse laughter for the sharp eared, Blood Orange took the stage.
Opening with the short I Wanna C U, the crowd’s cheers overtook the singer’s introduction, it felt like a volcano had just exploded. The crowd continued their admiration as Thinking Clean from the new album began, collectively they turned into an ocean of hopping heads whenever the irresistible drum section at the end of the song emerged from Hynes’ reflective lyrics. Coming to the end of the song, Hynes ripped into his cello, digging his way out from Thinking Clean to a cover of The Smiths’, How Soon Is Now?
The interlude track Family began, its spoken elegy from a female voice about how part of becoming oneself requires the responsibility of choosing one’s family. The optimistic synths of track Saint began, accompanying singers and frequent collaborators Eva Tolkin and Ian Isiah vocally introduced themselves during this performance. Ian Isiah during the end of the song took center stage, guiding the familial-feeling crowd to wave their arms back and forth.
Hearing Jesus Freak Lighter live really revealed Hynes’ influences, in the moments of him soloing the guitar, it could have easily passed as a New Order song with its post-punk reverb. Without pause, Hynes’ band transitioned into Vivid Light, dropping the guitar Hynes offered an impassioned vocal delivery as he stomped around the stage.
Further into the show, Hynes’ addressed the crowd for the first time, “Thank you for coming out tonight, this is very special.” After introducing his band, fan-favorite track Bad Girls sent the crowd into a frenzy of nostalgia-motivated dancing. New track Life turned the venue into what I’d consider my best case scenario for the apocalypse to look like, Blood Orange ringing throughout the environment doused in red lights. Heavy drums full of doom echoed throughout the end of the song as Ian Isiah took control of everyone’s attention with his wailing vocal runs of “I WANNA SEE YA NAKED!”
The crowd was in for a treat during the last fifteen minutes of the show as Hynes chopped into his guitar masterfully throughout his greatest hits. Uncle ACE, Charcoal Baby, and Champagne Coast guided the young crowd into dancing trance, I’m sure the thought of “This is the coolest place in Houston tonight.”, clouded their minds collectively.
During the show’s finale, Eva Tolkin really shined vocally during The Field, offering her distant vocal runs to the crowd’s adoration. After a lull, the ethereal synths of I Can Go began, Hynes addressed the crowd, “Thanks so much for coming tonight...take care, get home safe.” As the house lights came on, groups of friends all held each other tightly. A group standing next to me wrapped their arms over each other’s shoulders with one person ecstatically repeating, “We did it!” to the amusement of his friends.
With an album like Essex Honey, Hynes excavated through his youth to find something new he hasn’t expressed before to his fans. Throughout the night the answer to that was revealed, moving on in life. Essex Honey is waking up early before work to walk your dogs in that morning sun that once illuminated the house party living room; It’s picking up your younger sibling from the nightclub because they didn’t wanna pay for an Uber; It’s watching your best friends get married on the beach. Leaving the stage Hynes waved to the crowd, the stage lights illuminated the exit doors. For two hours he reminded the crowd that moving on isn’t a loss, it’s the whole point.
