Last month, Griff brought her EU/UK tour to Brussels, in a small venue with a capacity of 650 people. The advantage of these concert rooms is that there is no need to wait an entire day to be at the front – however, I knew I wanted to be in the center of the front row, therefore I did arrive two hours in advance. Little did I know my wishes would be granted beyond what was expected. I found myself holding Griff’s hand during her song “Astronaut”, while she was singing the song to me.
Who is Griff?
Griff, by her full name Sarah Faith Griffiths, is a London-based singer and songwriter. Her first mixtape, “One Foot in Front of the Another” brought her massive success, which would in turn bring her the opportunities to be the opening act of known names in the music industry, such as Dua Lipa (“Future Nostalgia Tour”, 2022), Ed Sheeran (“+-=÷× Tour”, 2022), and Coldplay (“Music of The Spheres Tour”, 2022-2023). After the mixtape, Griff released her lead single “Vertigo”, which encountered critical acclaim. She received Taylor Swift’s stamp of approval, through the singer posting the song on her Instagram story, which brought more attention to the song.
“vert1go vol. 1”
After the release of the single came the first volume of her next project, titled “Vertigo”. On October 20th 2023, “vert1go vol.1” saw the light. Griff explained the intimidation surrounding the process of putting out her first album, which is why the singer prefers releasing by volumes, each containing four songs. The first volume focused on sad, heart-wrenching songs. Griff describes them as her most “introverted” songs, the ones she needed to release before anything else.
“Astronaut”, a Cathartic Lesson in Healing
Although “Vertigo” caught my attention at first, when listening to vol. 1, what stood out to me was the last song, “Astronaut”. The lyrics perfectly describe the heart wrenching pain of coming to terms with the end of a relationship you didn’t want to end, and acknowledging that it is not your loss, but theirs. The song has helped me work through my own difficult emotions surrounding a complicated ending of a romantic relationship, serving as a refuge for emotions I couldn’t hold by myself. It has brought me bittersweet comfort in the face of loneliness, and an understanding that goes beyond what I thought possible.
”When you realise there’s nothing out there
But matter and emptiness
And you let a good thing go”
— “Astronaut”, Griff, https://genius.com/Griff-astronaut-lyrics
Griff announces her headline tour
Last year in October, shortly after the release of the first chapter in the “Vertigo” story, Griff announced her first EU/UK headline tour. After playing stadiums and arenas, Griff would put on her own show — in a much smaller environment. As the day of my concert approached, I kept thinking of how difficult it would be for me to listen to “Astronaut” live. I wondered if I were to make a sign asking Griff to hold my hand, if I would have any chance at getting the support and closure I needed.
Time For The Concert
Since I was one of the first people at the venue, I was indeed center of the first row. Since it’s more of an intimate venue, there is no barrier between the audience and the artist performing on stage. I was patiently awaiting for Griff to walk on scene, knowing she would be right in front of me. Knowing I’d see her so close was already a source of happiness for me. Witnessing the performance of these songs that I held so dearly to my heart was an excitement I can’t put into words.
When the lights dimmed, I was on cloud nine. She began the concert by spray painting the name of the city, as well as the date the concert took place — already a show of her artistry through the creative way she decided to begin the concert. She proceeded by tearing banners down to reveal the symbols and writings relating to the project.
Griff was wearing this beautiful dress, in which she was spinning throughout the whole concert, as is the signature move of the Vertigo era. The first song performed was “Black Hole”, which was coincidentally the first song I’ve heard of hers. The poetic nature of the moment did not escape me. As she put on one of the best shows of my life, through performing almost every song on her discography, she also spoke about her writing process. The particularity to Griff’s songwriting is that she doesn’t write with a specific situation in mind, on the contrary, the songwriter wants the audience to interpret her songs according to their own life. Whether that relates to romance, friendships or family, there is a versatility to the words she puts into the world. The fact that it can be applied to any situation is part of what makes her music special.
“ver2igo vol. 2”
Griff also performed all the songs from “ver2igo vol. 2”. At the time of the concert, only the leading single of the second volume was out, “Miss Me Too”. The song set the tone for the upcoming release, with lyrics just as heavy as the first volume, the difference being in the upbeat rhythm that brought a new lightness to the expressed emotions.
“ver2igo vol. 2” was released on April 5th, containing four songs dealing with the familiar feeling of losing different types of relationships.
“Cause I’ve got a hole in my pocket
I keep on losing my things
Loose change inside of my wallet
Some friends and some family
— “Hole In My Pocket”, Griff, https://genius.com/Griff-hole-in-my-pocket-lyrics”
I found the song I’d play on repeat once again at the end of the volume, with “Cycles” finding itself on my repeat playlist.
Just asking Griff to hold my hand
Although I go to more concerts than I can count, I’m the kind of person that prefers keeping the set list a surprise. While I knew there was no way she wouldn’t sing “Astronaut”, I didn’t know when that would be the case — and as she closed the concert with “Vertigo”, I began to consider I was wrong, and she wasn’t going to sing it at all.
But then of course, Griff returned for the encore, where the first notes of “Astronaut” played. I held out my little sign shakingly, not knowing if she would notice, but she did. A few seconds later, Griff headed towards me, sitting on her knees in front of me as she held my hand. She sang the first verse and chorus of the song that held my hand during nights where I felt so much loneliness and heartache, my only coping mechanism was finding comfort in music. To have her in front of me felt like the sign I needed that I could let go of all the hurt I had experienced in the past years, throughout the repeated loss of people, and the heartbreak that followed me around like a dark cloud.
As Griff looked me in the eye, I felt true connection to my humanity, and to all the ways in which we hurt each other, but also the power we have to heal each other. It is not lightheartedly that I say it was one of the best moments of my life. Although I had done the work to heal on my own, this moment acknowledged how far I had come. Having Griff’s presence so close, I couldn’t stop thinking about how lucky I was to have found my happiness in concerts, a place where emotions are not denied, but rather tended to.
Thank you, Griff. You showed me there is good stuff to remember.
Thank you to Perrine for capturing this moment.
Photography: @vontographie
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