The unapologetically feminist sensation, Sofia Isella, brought the “You’ll Understand More, Dick” tour to the Royale Oct. 24. Her music entombs the famous quote by Cesar A. Cruz, “Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.” Her show was all at once uncanny, invigorating and grotesque.
When the first notes of the opening song — her latest single “Out in the Garden” — hit the stage, she came out from the curtain pouring water over herself, then wildly waving it over the audience and throwing the bottle. The crowd was instantly deafening.
Isella combines complex lyricism with intense elements of the Gothic. Her songs range from powerful societal statements in “The Doll People” to sexy hits such as “Hot Gum.”
“What is he,” Isella said, feigning boredom before the chorus of “Hot Gum” and tilting the microphone towards the audience.
“He’s a keeper, he’s a believer, he’s on the ground on his knees in the theater,” screamed the audience.
During the final chorus, she took off her shirt and threw it to a lucky audience member, simultaneously playing into her signature brand of being a “slut for words.”
The set took a darker turn with “Everybody Supports Women,” a haunting song about the double standards for women. The louder parts of the song rocked the audience — people screamed, Isella gestured grotesquely, but it came to a close with an eerie contemplation. For her other songs, the roar of applause began as soon as the final lyric was sung, but for this one the entirety of the musical outro could be heard in complete silence.
“Everybody supports women until a woman’s doing better than you / Everybody wants you to love yourself until you actually do / It was something about her hair,” Sofia sang to 2,000 silent onlookers.
Interacting with individual people is very important to Isella. During every show she goes into the audience for “All Of Human Knowledge Made Us Dumb” and holds hands with her audience members. Boston was no different.
“Raise your hand like this, and will you also all turn on your phone flashlights,” said Isella as she stepped into the crowd.
Her interaction here highlights the message of the song, that technology separates us and dulls the essence of being human.
Not only is Sofia a talented lyricist, but also a phenomenal violin player. It is incorporated into many of her songs, most notably “The Well,” the intro to her 2024 EP, “I Can Be Your Mother.” Her Oct. 24 performance of this song was recreated into a duet with a special guest.
“This is my violin teacher,” said Isella, introducing Volkan Can Canbolat to the stage. “He taught me the violin. Very full circle.”
The already eerie “The Well” was turned into an explosive, almost violent duet between the two violinists. The violins were rendered as weapons and the power of the musical piece was overwhelming.
“The last two times me and Volkan performed that, every single time one of his strings, it snapped,” said Isella after the breathtaking song. “Are your strings good this show? No, it’s not good.” The audience laughed.
For the encore, Isella couldn’t resist dancing with the audience one last time. She walked through the crowd holding hands in a similar fashion as “All Of Human Knowledge Made Us Dumb” except this time to an upbeat reprise of “Hot Gum.”
“Get low, Boston,” she said from the middle of the crowd. Then: “Three, two, one!” The crowd exploded into a rave-like mosh pit with Isella herself among them. It made for an unforgettable finale.
Isella hosts fan meetups after as many shows as possible. For Boston, the first 200 people to buy merch received a wristband to meet after the show, where they were able to take a photo with her.
To anyone unfamiliar with Isella, the show would appear disturbing and uncomfortable. But to her fans, she was an intense reminder of what it means to be human.
“You’ll Understand More, Dick” concludes Nov. 16 in Los Angeles, California. Afterwards, she will support Florence + The Machine on the “Everybody Scream” tour beginning April 18.
