Gig Review: Wasia Project on the Isotopes tour
Returning to the UK after the North American and European legs of their Isotope tour, Leeds was Wasia Project’s first stop. The sibling duo, formed in 2019, is made up of lead vocalist Olivia Hardy and classically trained pianist William Gao. You may recognise William from his role as ‘Tao’ in the hit Netflix show Heartstopper, but this concert showed us that his talents don’t just lie in acting.
Their Isotopes album, released at the end of August, offers a diverse blend of jazz, alt-pop and classical tones and follows on from the success of their EP How Can I Pretend (2022). Both have stayed true to the ‘bedroom pop’ genre and complement each other greatly. The Stylus was packed with people of all ages. We managed to get a good spot a couple of rows from the front just in time to see the support act, Hohnen Ford, who serenaded us with songs from her new EP I Wish I Had a God (2024). It was her first night as the support act and she certainly didn’t disappoint.
After a quick twenty minutes, Wasia Project took to the stage. Opening with ‘Is This What Love Is?’ and ‘My Lover is Sleeping’. Olivia’s ethereal vocals set the initial tone for the night. After introducing the rest of the band, Olivia told us that not only was it their first gig in Leeds, it was also their first time ever visiting Leeds and they spent the day “pretending to be students” by exploring campus and going to Caffe Nero.
Before playing ‘Remember When’, the band told us to think of someone we miss and the personal nature of the song caused a few tears in the crowd. Later, in a moment of dialogue with the fans, the pair split the audience in two, encouraging layered audience participation to their slowed, jazz cover of Sades, ‘Smooth Operator’.
Throughout the performance, we were all captivated by William’s flawless solos on the piano. His classical training was obvious during his instrumental rendition of ‘Tell Me Lies’, which left the crowd silent. Of course, the band played their biggest hit, ‘ur so pretty’. The song was made popular from its feature in Heartstopper and as expected, left a sea of emotional fans singing along.
Towards the end of the gig, we got a better listen to Will’s voice as he took the solo part in ‘Misfit Biscuit’ and ‘To Get Better’. We were told to get low during the duo’s upbeat encore ‘impossible’ and after a classic ‘1, 2,3 Jump!’ the audience were left jumping along as Olivia danced around the stage to her brother’s rhythmic piano accompaniment.
The jazzy vibes and soft vocals made it easy to get involved, even if you don’t know the lyrics. The solo moments from the drums and guitar were certainly a highlight. We don’t think there was a moment when Olivia or Will’s voices were anything but perfect! Overall, this tour was a must-see. As casual fans, we had the best time and can see the band going far in the future.
The tour continues around the UK as the band is set to play London, Manchester, Glasgow, Cardiff and Bristol with their last tour date in Birmingham on the 19th of November.
Words by Ria Sharma and Hannah Bearne
