Omar Apollo at Roundhouse London review: A global superstar in-waiting

Like many of today’s rising stars, Omar Apollo truly understands social media and how it can be used to create a dialogue with his fans. Four days before his headline UK show, he spotted a tweet of a Union Jack emblazoned with his face, made by a fan. This flag joins several others, as well as customised t-shirts and even someone with an Omar tattoo, waiting for his show on a drizzly, autumnal evening at Camden’s Roundhouse.

The crowd is largely queer (a quick glance at Grindr confirms this, with swathes of display names changed to “Hi Omar!”). Everyone is already hyped up as several tracks from Renaissance play.

Apollo bounds onto stage, shimmering in a black sequinned Loewe outfit. He’s true to his tweet, and opens with the live debut of the reflective and heartfelt ‘Ice Slippin’. And yes, London does know the lyrics. “When you coming home? Home is where you’re supposed to be,” the crowd sings back, setting the tone for the rest of the show.

“London what the fuck is good, man?” It’s immediately clear that Apollo is a showman, thundering through crowd-pleasers ‘Killing Me’, ‘Ugotme’ and the effortlessly sultry ‘3 Boys’. He punctuates and paces the set with his Spanish language songs. Perhaps the biggest moment of the night comes as Apollo acknowledges it’s Latin Heritage Month (“This next song is very Mexican!”). He plays ‘En el olvido’ to the delight of the entirety of the room, as those who know the lyrics almost drown him out.

“London what the fuck is good, man?” – Omar Apollo

Apollo’s confidence on stage defies the silky, softboy persona his lyrics exude. His energy is cheeky and compelling, almost Harry Styles-esque, as he banters with the crowd, stopping multiple times to sign items for adoring fans. He even spots the fan-made Omar Apollo Union Jack, and takes it up on stage.

There are also moments of vulnerability, worried that his voice is tired. “If my voice cracks, don’t post it!” he says before delivering a note perfect rendition of ‘Petrified’. Apollo hits his highest falsettos with ease.

Apollo’s genre-bending storytelling keeps the crowd in the palm of his hand for the entire set; the whole Roundhouse sings along with aching love song ‘Invincible’ and shifts gear into the fan-favourite trap inspired ‘Tamagotchi’, before guiding the crowd into ‘Evergreen (You Didn’t Deserve Me At All).

His energy never falters, hip-shaking, bouncing, and twirling across a stage that at times, he seems almost constricted by. Cries of ‘one more song!’ evolve into ‘Otra! Otra!’, a chant Apollo admits he’s more used to hearing and perhaps fittingly, the delicate ‘Go Away’ ends the set.

With new EP Live For Me dropping October 6^th and a show at New York’s Madison Square Garden just around the corner, Apollo proves he is a global superstar in-waiting, ready for any stage.