Perth, Australia’s Blake Rose made a stop on his Suddenly Okay tour at DC’s Songbyrd Music House. His first headlining tour showcases his fresh charisma and charm, along with catchy anthems with a rock edge. It was an impressive show from someone who is clearly an exciting rising star.
His latest release is “Suddenly Okay,” a four track EP of sing-alongs that adds to the singer-songwriter’s existing body of infectious but relatable guitar-lead anthems. At Songbyrd Saturday, the largely Gen Z crowd gathered tightly around the stage, singing along to the pre-show playlist that included the likes of The Killers and One Direction. A wholesome post-college party atmosphere continued through the night. Rose instructed the crowd to keep partying, with only two rules in effect: to dance with anyone they saw dancing and talk to people they thought were cute.
The set list included songs like “Dizzy,” “Casanova,” and “Heavy Shit”—songs that feature his signature adept lyricism, vulnerability, and explore relatable themes like heartbreak, growing up, and getting wise. It’ll be fun to see the career of this extremely talented multi-instrumentalist and producer progress and mature.
The night kicked off with a set by supporting act Max McNown. Currently Nashville-based, the country/Americana singer-songwriter’s songs also explore relatable themes from a young person’s perspective. McNown’s first album, Wandering, was released this month and is described as revealing “his extraordinary capacity to ease the mind and strengthen the soul.”
McNown’s sizable fanbase has helped him acquire 22M streams and a slot on Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart with his single, “A Lot More Free,” which was #1 on the TikTok Breakthrough USA chart. It’s an impressive set of accomplishments and again it’s clear McNown’s star will only get brighter.
The Suddenly Okay tour wraps up in Austin, TX on May 2.
MAX McNOWN
