The last time Rex Orange County played in D.C., two years ago after teenage girls everywhere fell in love with his upbeat, wholesome hit “Loving is Easy,” he played for a crowd of 500 people. This time around, now with three major albums under his belt, The Pony Tour completely sold out The Anthem. Fans spent hours at the Wharf waiting in the rain to get as close to the 21-year-old English indie-pop star as they could, many of them dressed for the wrong season in crop tops, jean shorts and plastic ponchos. You never know if you’re going to get asked backstage, but in the hopes that you do, dress accordingly.
In the crowd a few rows back from the barricades, I genuinely feared for my life. Fifteen-year-old girls can be very, very protective over a guy they don’t know who looks like he doesn’t own a razor. However, I applaud any artist who can make a group of young ugly cry while wearing an oversized sweatshirt and light wash jeans. Trying to get back to my friends after shooting Rex’s opening set, a girl with a septum piercing, bleached hair and bright pink eyeshadow grabbed me by the shoulders, shoved me into the crowd, and kicked me in the shins. I really wish I was kidding. Maybe she had a sixth sense for fans that only knew him for Loving Is Easy up until a few weeks ago.
Pony is equal parts bubbly, electric, and sappy. The album blends disco, strings, ballads and brass, all of which we got a full taste of at the show. Once Rex came on stage a fashionable forty-five minutes late, he opened with three songs from the recently released album, “10/10,” “Laser Lights,” and “Face to Face.”
On stage Rex strung together a lineup of emotions that accompany adolescent relationships, demystifying the grey area between fantasizing of romance and hesitating to grow up. Whether you’re listening to Apricot Princess on Spotify or in the first row at one of his shows, the individuality Rex brings to writing and recording isn’t hard to pick out. As long as he keeps producing albums this sincere, I’ll brave the passionate crowds and risk my safety to see what he brings to the stage next.
Photos taken by author, see smac-photo.com for more