Brigitte Calls Me Baby

Brigitte Calls Me Baby at KOKO, London — 2026-09-15

Chicago’s Brigitte Calls Me Baby brought a darker, slightly theatrical edge to KOKO, with Tom A Smith opening the show.

Chicago’s Brigitte Calls Me Baby played KOKO last night, bringing a darker, slightly theatrical edge to the room, with Tom A Smith opening the show.

KOKO drew a really mixed crowd, from younger alternative fans to older indie and rock fans. There were plenty of people with a distinctly alternative look, alongside couples and groups of friends who didn’t seem to fit any particular scene. It gave the room a slightly unruly, lived-in feel that suited the band. There was a sense of anticipation without the audience feeling overly familiar with every song, which made the reaction to the set interesting to watch.

Tom A Smith opened the evening with a stripped-back set built around guitar and vocals. The Sunderland singer-songwriter has been playing live since he was eight and has already shared stages with artists including Sam Fender, Miles Kane and James. He kept things simple and direct, making for a short but solid start to the evening. There was very little between him and the audience, which made the opening feel considerably more intimate than the room itself suggested.

Brigitte Calls Me Baby opened with “These Acts of Which We’re Designed”, followed by “Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction”, “How to Ignore a Feeling…” and “Too Easy”. Their sound has plenty of familiar influences, but what stood out live was the contrast between the sweetness of the melodies and the slightly uneasy feeling underneath them.

Wes Leavins’ voice is a big part of that. He can move from warm and romantic to detached and almost distant without much warning, while the band leave plenty of space around him. There is also something slightly old-fashioned about the way he delivers some of the vocals, which sits strangely well alongside the darker guitars and more modern edge of the music.

The set moved between swooning melodies, sharper guitar lines and more restrained moments. “I Danced With Another Love in My Dream”, “The Early Days of Love” and “Pink Palace” brought out the more romantic side of the band, while “I Wanna Die in the Suburbs” had a little more urgency. “I Can Take the Sun Out of the Sky” and “The Pit” shifted things again, giving the set a good sense of movement without losing its slightly melancholic character.

The set also had enough changes in pace to stop the atmosphere becoming too heavy. Some songs felt almost cinematic, while others were more immediate and guitar-led. The band were particularly good when they allowed the songs to sit somewhere between those two extremes rather than pushing too hard in either direction.

Then there’s “Impressively Average”, which is still one of the best song titles in the set. It brought a welcome change of tone, with a little more humour cutting through the darker moments.

The regular set finished with “Slumber Party”, before the band returned for “Geordie” and “Impressively Average” for the encore.

Having already opened for YUNGBLUD in the US this year, the Chicago band are starting to find themselves in bigger rooms. Their UK/EU headline run continues through Europe this month. There’s already a confidence to the live show, and after KOKO, it feels like they’re only just getting started.

Setlist

These Acts of Which We’re Designed / Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction / How to Ignore a Feeling… / Too Easy / There Always / I Danced With Another Love in My Dream / The Early Days of Love / Pink Palace / I Can Take the Sun Out of the Sky / The Pit / I Wanna Die in the Suburbs / We Were Never Alive / The Future Is Our Way Out / Slumber Party

Encore: Geordie / (Unknown) / Impressively Average

For WE PLUG GOOD MUSIC https://www.wepluggoodmusic.com/