In honor of the release of her debut solo EP, VII, Against The Current’s singer Chrissy Costanza is on tour through Europe right now, with a stop in Amsterdam on Tuesday November 26th. She doesn’t have to go about it completely alone though, as she brought along her collaborators from the band VOILÀ to show Amsterdam love on this Spin The Bottle tour.
The set-up for tonights show isn’t a common one: instead of the classic support/headliner setlist, they decided to mix it up during the entire evening. There’s some songs where both Gus and Chrissy are on the stage, but they mostly switch back and forth every 3 to 4 songs. Guitarist Luke Eisner stays on stage with the drummer during most of the 2 hour long set, as the anchors to their spinning singers. It’s a good way to introduce the crowd to the songs from VOILÀ too, getting the music from both acts the attention they deserve. The setup is a true testament to how well these two acts go together, so much that it gets you to wonder why this isn’t used by more artists, during more tours.
Today’s show is packed to the brim, with a filled up balcony, stairs, all the way to the doors in the back. The crowd seems to primarily be there for Chrissy Costanza, as she has been a part of the wildly popular band Against The Current for the last 15 years or so. This shows in the amount of hands that go up, when she asks who was at their show last year, when they were across the hall from today’s smaller venue. The solo music she just released, co-written and produced with the VOILÀ duo, is a way for Chrissy to experiment outside of the world of Against The Current. The first solo song she performs on Tuesday “But, What If I Fly?” really captures the feeling of trying to break out of the expectations, and she surely succeeded in it with this EP. Singing a medley of covers as well, this break in the set gives everyone a moment to catch their breath after rocking with VOILÀ, and just listen to the angelic voice Chrissy possesses.
You can almost pinpoint the exact moment the audience connects to VOILÀ’s music even more too. It took the crowd a switch or two, but about half-way through the show, after Chrissy’s covers, you could tell the crowd was itching to move again, happily doing so to “Glass Half Empty”. Singer Gus Ross is giving all his energy during his parts, including a trip to the floor to dance with everyone else, helping with establishing those new connections as well. In a way, they’re the discovery of the evening, and the setlist emphasizes their talent. It showcases their music so well, it’s not hard to imagine they’re walking off stage with hundreds of new fans.
Overall, the music from both acts have a dark romantic vibe to them, highlighted by the velvet outfits worn by Chrissy and Luke. Even though Chrissy’s light, clear voice and VOILÀ’s darker sentiments were so entwined through the night, they didn’t lose sight of their own unique voices, making it such a fun experience for everyone. Since the entire tour got sold out months ago, you’ll have to wait until their next tour to catch them. Fortunately for us, that might not be too long a wait…
GALLERY: Chrissy Costanza and VOILÀ at Melkweg in Amsterdam (November 26, 2024)
