Blood Orange at Way Out West: A Musical Masterpiece but Difficult Audience Engagement

Blood Orange is above all the stage name for British Dev Hynes, a musician, producer, and songwriter who moves freely between alternative R&B, pop, soul, and electronic elements. At Way Out West, he also quickly shows what a versatile musician he is.

Musically, it sounds really good. The sound is clear and well-balanced, and during the set, Hynes switches between several different instruments. At one moment, he sits at the keyboard, next he's playing guitar, and later even brings out the cello. This gives the concert variety and demonstrates how much of Blood Orange is actually built on Hynes' own musicianship.

The stage itself is fairly simple, and not much happens visually. Instead, the focus is entirely on the music and performance, and there is really little to complain about in that respect.

The problem lies rather with the audience.

Despite Blood Orange putting on a strong performance on stage, the show never really manages to energize the majority of the crowd. Most people stand fairly still and the sing-along is limited. Here and there, of course, there are people dancing and singing along, but the feeling never truly spreads throughout the audience.

This creates a certain distance between what happens on stage and in front of it. Blood Orange delivers musically, but the concert never quite gets that extra push that can transform a good festival show into something you'll truly carry with you afterwards.

A skillfully executed concert with really good sound and impressive musicality – but with an audience that never quite comes to life.