Once upon a time at the House of Blues in Boston… On April 14th, the Australian DJ and singer Alison Wonderland enchanted audiences with heart-stopping bass drops, a hypnotizing light show, and electrifying energy. The concert was part of her tour in support of her upcoming album “Loner,” to be released on May 6th.
Wonderland’s set alternated between her own songs and mashups of electronic, pop, and rap hits, spiking the audience’s adrenaline when mellow moments turned into beat drops. At every transition, she made it work. Two percussionists accompanied Wonderland on stage, their performance adding depth to the artist’s electronic mixes.
While the visual show behind her displayed haunting graphics and ominous lighting, Wonderland’s performance left concert-goers uplifted. You couldn’t help but feel reinvigorated. Wonderland reminded her fans that they should always “come out winning and never victimize themselves,” “FUCK ME SPIRITUALLY,” the merch on sale outside the concert hall demanded.
As someone who hadn’t heard Wonderland’s music before the concert, I was pulled in by the fervor of the crowd, a mix of younger and older fans whose outfits ranged from neon bikinis to t-shirts and jeans. Wonderland told her audience, “Dress how you want and dance how you want. If anyone is going to judge you, they don’t belong here.” There was something magically liberating in her performance. It didn’t matter if you were a hardcore fan or had never heard the song before. Audience members kept turning to each other, sharing the same passion in each moment, equally transported to somewhere carefree.
The booming base grounded them. The concert was clearly about the music. One fan reflected that she couldn’t help but “love dancing to her music … the energy at the House of Blues was eclectic and energizing.” Wonderland’s and her audience focused not on gimmicks or superficiality, but on their love for the music. In an honest moment, the singer shared that music is how she is able to get through difficult times, and she hopes that her songs convey her “honest feelings.” As an audience member walking into the House of Blues, I didn’t expect electronic pop to invoke sentimentality. But Wonderland’s depth brings sincerity to this genre, offering Boston a transformative experience in just ninety minutes.
Alice Khayami ’25 (alicekhayami@college.harvard.edu) wishes she was also from Wonderland.