Baby Queen at Bowery Ballroom

South African-born and London-based artist Bella Latham has been making music under the name Baby Queen since 2017. She made her US live debut in March of 2022 at Baby’s All Right and since then, her profile has grown enough to have been invited be the opening act for the European leg of Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour Tour. Just last month, Baby Queen released her debut LP, Quarter Life Crisis, via Island Records. Having toured extensively in the UK on the aptly named Quarter Life Crisis Tour leading up to and through the album’s release date, Baby Queen brought her tour to the US for just two stops—New York and Los Angeles. The first US show supporting the new LP took place at a sold out Bowery Ballroom on the 27th of November.

Many members of Baby Queen’s dedicated fanbase, known as the Baby Kingdom, showed up early outside the Bowery Ballroom in anticipation of the show, braving the first real cold of the season for hours before doors opened. The evening’s opening act, Hayes Warner, was a local musician who had dreamed of performing on the Bowery Ballroom stage after attending many shows there as a fan.

There was palpable excitement in the air as the 9 o’clock hour drew near. When band members Nathan Challinor on guitar, Ben Hohls on bass, and drummer Max Blunos took the stage, the crowd was ready to figuratively explode. Finally, as Baby Queen walked out and started to perform the album’s title song, the pent up energy in the crowd burst forth with supportive cheers and enthusiastic singing along.

Baby Queen noted that despite only having released the album a few weeks prior, many of the die hard fans in the audience already knew the lyrics to the newer songs. The biggest crowd reactions, however, came in response to the older, more familiar, material such as “Buzzkill” and “Internet Religion.” Baby Queen fed off the energy in the room and often engaged with audience members, reaching out to the crowd to hold their hands and accept gifts, letters, and even friendship bracelets. At one point, she singled out a couple of fans that she had recognized as having flown out to a few UK shows and did a round of tequila shots with them mid-show to show her appreciation.

A two-song encore triumphantly capped off the evening with the lively and anthemic “Want Me” followed by the rousing and hopeful “We Can Be Anything.”

For the Baby Queen setlist and a full gallery of photos of Baby Queen’s performance as well as opening act, Hayes Warner, continue below.

Hayes Warner

Baby Queen

Baby Queen setlist:

1. Quarter Life Crisis
2. kid genius
3. Dream Girl
4. You Shaped Hole
5. 23
6. every time i get high
7. Love Killer
8. Die Alone
9. Buzzkill
10. a letter to myself at 17
11. Grow Up
12. Internet Religion
13. Raw Thoughts
14. Obvious
15. I can’t get my shit together
16. Dover Beach

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