After several postponed shows and tour dates, Sorry finally showed off their latest album, Anywhere But Here, in an intimate late night show at DC9 last week. The band was accompanied by opener Charlotte Rose Benjamin.
Sorry is a North London-based band formed by childhood friends Asha Lorenz and Louis O’Bryen. To perform as a full band, the pair of friends added drummer Lincoln Barrett, bassist Campbell Baum and more recently, keyboard player Marco Pina. Sorry released their first album, 425, in 2020, released a studio album during the pandemic, and waited for Covid-19 case numbers to decline before returning to live venues. Released in 2022, Anywhere But Here is the band’s first album recorded as a five-person band. After hearing Anywhere But Here when it was released, I was extremely excited to see Sorry in person.
With this being Sorry’s first headlining tour in the United States, the band had a chance to show off to this late night audience. The setlist highlighted tracks from both the debut album 425 and the latest album Anywhere But Here, which allowed them to perform the debut tour that was canceled due to Covid while also showing off their new tracks.
True to their sound, Asha Lorenz took the lead on most of the vocals for the night with Louis O’Bryen backing her. Their back-and-forth singing is almost like a conversation, telling their story of life in London. The band incorporated playful sound effects in their act, such as a sound clip from Disney’s “The Jungle Book” before their song “Snakes,” to show off the upbeat and almost innocent feel of 925.
Tracks from the new album continue the London story, but address deeper and darker feelings, like the desperation for love in “Let the Lights On” and acceptance of heartbreak in “There’s So Many People That Want To Be Loved”.
As always, DC9 is the perfect venue for a small indie band like Sorry. The low stage and small audience space allows fans to get close to the performers. Lorenz often chatted with the audience between songs, making the concert feel like a casual jam sesh among friends.
Asha Lorenz was unfortunately quite sick, so the band ended their set early. The audience chanted for an encore, but ultimately realized she had pushed herself too far already. It was amazing to see that even through illness, Lorenz is dedicated to her art (and she still sounded great!)
This was an amazing show to attend and a great way to end a Friday night in DC. Sorry has such great chemistry between the band members, which creates such a fun atmosphere as the musicians feed off each other’s energy. I have friends in London, so I might try to experience a Sorry show there if the band does not return to DC soon. In the meantime, I’ll be religiously listening to the current Sorry content, eager for new content in the near future!
You can listen to Sorry on Spotify here.
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