Stepping out of a dream, María Zardoya took the stage in a haze of soft lights, her presence as captivating as the stories woven into their lyrics. The lovechild of María Zardoya and Josh Conway, accompanied by their two bandmates, took over the stage at O2 Ritz Manchester, where they transported us to a place of pure romance, with lyrics speaking straight to the heart. 

From “I don’t want to get lost inside the colour under my tongue” to “I live under your eyelids, I’ll always be yours,” the 16-year-old in me who first listened to these words, staring out the window and holding back tears, had been dying to cross them off my bucket list. 

As the band stepped on stage, I stood in awe. A silhouette appeared, unaware of what I was about to experience. With wet hair and asymmetric clothing, as if she’d just dragged herself out of a pond – appropriate, given the album’s name is Submarine – Zardoya held us spellbound, every word a new wave to ride. With lights pulsing to the beat, the opener, ‘Hamptons’, set a mesmerising, almost psychedelic tone for the night. The crowd was urged to let loose, jumping and shaking off the worries of the day. When Zardoya tells you to do something, you listen – so we all jumped.

As time went by, one look around proved that no one in the crowd could stop dancing. The band did an exceptional job of pleasing both old and new fans, playing songs from their EPs all the way to their debut album—tracks like ‘Only in my Dreams’, ‘Cariño’, ‘Heavy’, and ‘Hush’. The band admitted that after their debut album, they weren’t sure if they’d release another. Thank God they did!

Zardoya’s stage presence felt angelic, and her chemistry with bandmate (and former partner) Josh Conway is one for the books. The way she moved across the stage felt like an apparition. It was as if the audience had stumbled into a dream, mesmerised by these fairy-like creatures singing you to sleep. Apart from their own songs, the band also played a cover of ‘Lovefool’. Although unexpected, their execution made the song their own with Zardoya’s soothing and ethereal vocals wrapping the song in a new layer of intimacy.

The concert’s most intimate moment arrived as ‘Sienna’ started playing. Zardoya, now seated and holding her head, drew us into a private reflection. Seeing her perform the song live felt like a glimpse into something personal, almost sacred. The song is, indeed, one that is close to the singer’s heart. It discusses a once-cherished dream of having a child with her partner – a dream that gradually dwindled as the relationship came to an end. The whimsical soundscape of the song gave the listeners the opportunity to interpret the music as they wished, with the weight of longing, of love lost, dreams unfulfilled – these feelings reverberating around the room. In that moment, ‘Sienna’ became more than a song; it was a story of intimacy and heartache accompanied by such vulnerability that the audience was left bewitched. For the ones in the crowd that were familiar with the song’s backstory, this was no ordinary performance—Zardoya was sharing a piece of herself with us, opening up and letting us see her not just as a performer, but as a woman with her own dreams and heartbreaks.

Leaving the concert, I felt as though I’d fallen in love. The air of the train home was thick with romance, unspoken words and the lingering urge to reach out to people from past lives. I suppose that’s what love does to you—it stirs forgotten feelings and leaves you wanting more. Upon exiting the venue, struck by the reality of the outside world, the magic of the concert shall stay with me for a while as a refreshing reminder of how raw and enchanting this live performance was. It was a lingering experience, the echoes of the night still quietly humming in the back of my mind. 

Words by Aria Aristotelous