Always dynamic and casually careless, Maude Latour has successfully developed a formula to capture an audience’s attention. On Sunday, October 15th, the 24-year-old took the stage for the final show of the “Twin Flame Tour” at D.C.’s infamous 9:30 Club, and she did so in a whirlwind of sparkles, glitter, lights, and sound. Latour graduated from Columbia University in 2022 with a degree in philosophy and hasn’t stopped touring since. Yet, her schooling continues to take center stage as she carefully intersperses existentialist thought throughout both her songs and audience interactions.
Curiously comedic and corny, opener Devon Again set the energy for Latour’s performance, arriving on stage enthusiastically chanting “gay people.” The 22-year-old, blue-haired alt-pop renegade makes the “dirty girl aesthetic” chic and enticing, donning sparkling star eyeliner and fishnets. Devon intricately intertwines electronic pop with R&B melodies in an explosion of emotions, rage, and excitement that reverberate throughout each song. Fans cheered Devon’s runs throughout “Suburbia,” the TikTok hit that put the Denver native on the map, and bounded across the stage to a high-energy, high-autotune cover of 100gecs’ “stupid horse.” Ever unserious, Devon expressed her most introspective and vulnerable thoughts during “deep” while gliding across the stage in flaming, little boy Heelys.
Latour’s set was additionally glittery; she took the stage in jewel-studded jeans to match her equally bedazzled mic stand. Her set began shortly with “I am not the sun,” a single off her most recent EP, Twin Flame. Latour proclaims her devotion to a nebulous lover while simultaneously acknowledging the opportunity to express gratitude for another (“Oh my God, oh my God / You’re everything I ever wanted” the song set the stage for the night). Latour’s melodies and lyrics celebrate the nuances of romantic and platonic love, unapologetic joy, queerness, and hope, and this song immediately brought the crowd into her intimate universe.
The rest of Latour’s set showcased a combination of songs from her entire catalog, reaching back into her discography to play hits from her 2021 and 2022 EPs, Strangers Forever and 001, respectively. Latour’s energy is infectious, inviting the audience to let loose through bedroom pop jams like “Furniture” and tributes to queerness and female friendship like “Lola.” Yet, Latour’s set is endlessly versatile, halting her set to play two acoustic tracks with her guitarist. Before playing “Trees,” a tribute to her late grandmother, Latour addressed her audience as if each individual were a close personal friend, grieving in tandem. “We need to take every day for exactly what it is and take everyone around us for as sacred as they are,” she said.
Latour’s set ended with “Block Your Number,” during which she yelled to the fans that “nothing matters outside of this room right now.” The audience crouched down during the pre-chorus and leaped into the air in perfect disunion as she closed out the final song. Latour even entered the crowd to mosh with us in a moment of energy and interconnectedness.
Even at her most vulnerable, postulating gently on existentialist thought, Latour remains hopelessly optimistic. However, she urges her listeners to take this impermanence in stride, appreciating even the most insignificant moments and surroundings. She adopts a breathy, detached, even Jennifer Coolidge-esque voice, musing that “life is about the small moments when you get to take it all in.”
Latour ended on a thunderous note, returning to the stage to croon and holler through crowd-favorite songs “Cyclone” and “One More Weekend” as an encore. As her band played the last notes of the closing track, Latour briefly returned to the stage to inform the crowd that before her next live performance, she plans to release her first full album. So, if you haven’t already—and you want that coveted “I listened to her before she was popular” title—now is the time to tune in. Maude Latour is just getting started, and she’s showing no signs of slowing down.
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