María Zardoya’s alternate reality Not for Radio graces London’s Hackney Empire

Words by By Ana Bhardwaj

What better day to watch Not for Radio (María Zardoya’s solo project) perform at the beautiful Hackney Empire than Earth Day? The lead singer of alternative pop band The Marías brings her dark, melancholic yet dreamy songs from the debut album Melt to a beautifully decorated theatre – the first of 2 nights during her European run. From a forest set, to fake snow and morphing from a white to black swan, Not for Radio put on a spectacle delighting fans eager to hear the album live for the first time. 

The show opened with a harpist performing some of the most beautiful pieces of music I’ve probably ever heard. A single spotlight on stage, she managed to dominate the room, and all eyes were on her. Not for Radio came on shortly after with a grand entrance of the theatre curtains opening up to a woodland and forest stage design, with María in the middle emulating a white swan. They powered through songs off the album and newly released EP Bloom, each piano-driven song accompanied by mood lighting and ethereal dance moves from the singer. Between each act was a moment of spoken word and poetry; you could almost describe it as moving between the seasons before a new act began. The crowd experienced a range of moods, going from imagining being sat in a living room with a cup of tea to a snow shower indicating winter in the forest.

Pathetic fallacy was in full force as each emotion and feeling in the songs was paired perfectly with the immaculate set. We even got a cover of ‘No One Noticed’ – one of my personal favourite songs by The Marías (and of all time). Not for Radio will end their European tour with two nights in Paris before a short festival run over the summer. 

Photos by Ana Bhardwaj