On the final night of her The BPM EU/UK ’25 Tour, American violinist, singer, and songwriter Sudan Archives turned The Academy in Dublin into an electrified, near-transcendent space. With a packed crowd, an imaginative stage design, and a setlist that stretched across almost her entire new album, the night was a striking showcase of an artist at the height of her creative power.
The evening opened with Cleo Reed, whose smooth yet energetic set warmed the room quickly. Reed’s blend of soulful vocals, sharp electronic edges, and commanding stage presence created an atmosphere of anticipation rather than typical opener patience. By the time she finished, the crowd was already fully engaged, primed for the sonic and visual world Sudan was about to unleash.
When Sudan Archives emerged, the room erupted. The stage had been bathed in deep red lighting, a choice that can easily fall flat at live shows, but here it worked with uncanny perfection. At the center of the stage stood a raised podium, from beneath which thick waves of smoke began to billow at the start of the set. As the smoke poured outward and met the crimson glow, the entire stage took on a dramatic, almost hellish atmosphere, fiery, otherworldly, and absolutely fitting for her bold, genre-defying sound.
Sudan moved fluidly between violin, vocals, and dance, often ascending the podium during key songs. From that elevated position she seemed to command not just the crowd, but the entire room’s energy. Her physicality on stage is one of the most compelling aspects of her performance: elastic, kinetic, unpredictable, yet always purposeful. She is, simply put, a force of nature when she performs.
The setlist, spanning 21 songs, was a treasure for fans. She performed nearly all tracks from The BPM, omitting only “Los Cinci” and “David and Goliath.” The rest of the show was a generous sweep through both new material and earlier hits, each delivered with emotional precision and technical brilliance. The crowd responded with unbroken enthusiasm, dancing, shouting, and at times simply standing in awe.
Highlights were plentiful, soaring violin passages that sliced cleanly through thick electronic beats, moments where Sudan’s voice dropped to a whisper over uneasy synths, and unexpected rhythmic shifts that pushed the audience into collective exhilaration. Every song felt intensely alive, reshaped slightly for the stage but never losing the intricate personality of her recorded work.
As she closed the night with “The BPM,” the title track of her latest album, the room surged one final time. It was the kind of ending that felt less like a finale and more like a release, an exhale after an hour and a half of unrelenting artistic charge.
Leaving The Academy, one sentiment i left with was, if you see Sudan Archives live and aren’t blown away, check your pulse. She is one of the most exciting, inventive performers working today, and Dublin witnessed her at full power.
Cleo Reed photos:
Sudan Archives photos & set-list:
Set-list:
Dead
Noire
Yea Yea Yea
NBPQ – Topless
Touch Me
Nont For Sale
Ciara
Come And Find Me
Freakalizer
My Type
Bug’s Life
Ms Pac Man
She’s Got Pain
A Computer Love
OMG Britt
Come Meh Way
Heavan Knows
Selfish Soul
Confessions
The Nature Of Power
The BPM
Photos & words – Ian Mc Donnell @mcgigmusic
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