It is common for artists to shed their skin, developing new personas and projects throughout their careers. María Zardoya is the latest to do so, with a surprising yet compelling break from her rising indie rock band The Marías. On her first ever tour with her solo project Not for Radio, she took that opening phrase literally, reimagining herself as a swan in Swan Lake and taking the audience on a journey of the life and death of her character, representing the changes throughout her own career.
For context on this reinterpretation, Swan Lake is a 19th-century ballet that tells the tale of Prince Siegfried in a mythical European kingdom. Siegfried becomes enamored with Princess Odette, a woman who has been cursed to live as a swan during the daytime. This ballet is marked by deception and betrayal, while Not for Radio’s interpretation conveys the metamorphosis of María’s life.
Not for Radio is an experimental new project for singer Zardoya, lead singer of indie pop band The Marías. Alongside her, Not for Radio’s band consists of Sam Evian (producer and multi-instrumentalist), Gianluca Buccellati (producer and multi-instrumentalist), Doron Zounes (bassist and guitarist), Oliver Hill (multi-instrumentalist and string arranger), and Sean Mullins (drummer). Soon after the release of their first album Melt, they announced their Winter in the Garden theater tour. In a post on Instagram, María wrote that she wanted concert viewers to “experience the music live in a beautiful theatre, seated and comfortable” where they could “see the stage and have an intimate night with the music.”
Upon entering the stunning venue, the Auditorium Theatre, I was met by an expansive line that stretched the length of six flights of stairs, with workers attempting to regulate the traffic. The prize at the end was the merchandise table, from which every fan seemed eager to buy an item. One worker, Sam, told me he had “never seen a line like this for an artist before” at the venue.
After I waited in this vast line for about 45 minutes, an usher guided me to my seat and the opening act began. For this tour, the supporting acts are local string quartets from each show’s city. The quartet for this show was mesmerizing, playing recognizable classical pieces that swept the audience away and received thunderous applause.
Less than a half hour later, the curtain rose to reveal a garden-themed stage. Atop a mossy mound in front of a woodland backdrop, Zardoya emerged, dressed as a white swan, pure and delicate. With the ardent song “Puddles,” Act I: “Enchanted Fireflies” began.
Halfway through the act, Zardoya opened up about the writing of the Melt album. She described how she and her collaborators wrote it in a “cabin in the woods,” an atmosphere evidently recreated on the stage by the woodland background and set coated with elements of nature. This led into a performance of her first of three unreleased songs of the night, “Living Room.” This song is marked by a melancholic indie sound akin to the songs on Melt, including pleading lyricism such as, “I don’t know how I can live on without you/ Don’t let me down/ I have you now/ Don’t let me down.”
At the end of the following song, “Water on Your Nose,” a sheer white curtain fell from above the stage, wrapping around Zardoya and the mossy set. With its descent came the transition into Act II: “A Swan in the Night.”
The second act consisted of a medley of works, including more songs from Melt, another unreleased song titled “Comet,” and cover of “Nude” by Radiohead. The aesthetics of this section were similar to Act I, with Zardoya still clad in white, albeit without the fluffy, feathered coat that was shed in the middle of the first act.
During the performance of “Swan,” a drastic transformation began to occur. Throughout the song, white feathers floated down from above, coating the stage and performers. As the song neared its conclusion, a man dressed in black emerged, walking onto the center mound where Zardoya stood. The two took turns circling one another, like predator and prey, until the man picked up Zardoya bridal style. When the song ended, the white curtain fell atop them and the mysterious man placed Zardoya, now “dead,” onto the mound, covering her body with the now-fallen fabric. I found this theatrical moment intriguing, as the “plot” of the show clearly shifted into a new, darker atmosphere, marked by the performative act of death.
The main curtain of the stage closed with a swan projected onto it. Then, mere moments later, the stage was revealed once more to begin the final part of the show, Act III: “The Underworld.” The band continued performing without Zardoya’s vocals until a bed was revealed with Zardoya sitting upon it. Her white form was now fully shed, replaced with a black version of her first ensemble. As “Not the Only One” was performed, fake snow coated the stage, covering the once-vibrant green props. This cold, haunting setting continued as the performers played “Vueltas,” with fog rolling in.
The following song, an extended version of “No One Noticed,” was the sole piece from The Marías’ discography, and the crowd’s excitement was unmistakable. While most people in the audience did not record any of the concert, half of the listeners quickly whipped out their phones once this song began to take videos. This was also one of the few songs I could actually hear people singing along to, as most elected to remain hushed or silent throughout the show.
Following this and the final, unreleased song, “Ache,” the show ended with a performance of “Back To You,” the most popular song from Melt, which was met with roaring cheers. Black feathers fell onto the stage as the song closed, and the band soon appeared again for bows.
The concert was mesmerizing, weaving the evocative songs into a unique interpretation of Swan Lake. It is evident why Not for Radio took inspiration from the ballet—their songs cannot be fully enjoyed, perhaps not even fully understood, without the visual theatricality that graced the Auditorium this January.
