I Missed (Avalon Bloom): Concert Review
Avalon Bloom by ARTHUR lOISEAU
Amid growing alt-rock nostalgia, Montpellier-based band Avalon Bloom lit up the Point Ephémère with the passion-driven sonic mayhem the Parisian emerging scene had been longing for. From the moment they stepped on stage to the crowd-surfing that vitalised the experience, Avalon Bloom had more to express than just their pulsating energy. December fourth felt like an open-armed invitation into Avalon Bloom’s world, one defined by the band's reciprocal intensity with their devoted fans.
Only three years old, this four-piece band with heavy influences from pop punk and indie rock has been thriving to take the emerging French rock scene by storm. Their first single Iron Love saw the light of day in 2022, and since then, Avalon Bloom has been gifting us with livelier music through their debut self-titled album the following year - and now, their latest EP A World Where Many Worlds Fit as of May 2025. Their most recent single, Maya, dropped only three weeks ago to this day and recalls the emotional gloom through heartfelt heaviness, capturing the yearning of a broken love. Thematically rooted in the lyrical authenticity of emo music, Maya first offers sonic hints of dreampop reminiscent of Turnover’s 2015 album Peripheral Vision, only to end with the genre’s signature raw vocals of despair mirroring emotional depth. In the month leading to Maya’s release, Avalon Bloom has since hit the road touring France, stopping by the country’s capital halfway through.
Stepping foot into the Point Ephémère, you were immediately hit with a wave of Kooks-inspired nostalgia courtesy of their opening act, Orange Rave. A four-piece French indie rock band - who, like Avalon Bloom, had their debut performance at the Supersonic - gave us a primary taste of just how eclectic the night would turn out.
“I MISSED (AVALON BLOOM)” As the venue sank into darkness, a piercing red screen engulfing the entirety of the scene signalled a head start to the band’s performance. Flickering into “I MISSED (PARIS)”, the Montpellier-natives took their place. Having met in design school, Avalon Bloom’s consistent approach to their recognisable art direction - through album covers, tour posters or an immersive stage design - has evidently become one of their strong suits as performers in an increasingly visually-conscious industry. Their theatrical choices welcomed the crowd similarly to the way Turnstile has been doing so in their current Never Enough tour - another clear influence. Opening with Iron Love, the first half of the setlist juggled between slick guitar transitions from song to song, continuous projections of color-driven visualizers in the background and compositions blending midwest emo textures with upbeat tempos. Reminiscent of Citizen’s Everybody Is Going to Heaven era of 2015, the band shifted into a more wistful pace with rumbling bass guitars for a more sentimental approach, performing back-to-back songs Dove Fall and Flower Bloom from their most recent EP. By this point, the band had orchestrated a unanimous feeling of warmth and community with everyone waving their pocket lights to the ballad Tell Me - arranged exclusively for live performances with a sporadic, Title Fight–like chord progression and an extended outro. With the lights out and the vocals exceptionally echoing throughout the venue, Avalon Bloom had become masterful interpreters of raw emotions in their sonic experience. A snare-heavy three-minute drum solo then opened up the pit to a feral intensity alongside flickering lights, crowdsurfing and moshing. Crowd-consciousness reigned at the Point Ephémère with two of their most eccentric songs: Winter Sun and long-awaited Maya. “I WILL MISS (AVALON BLOOM)” flashed one last time before our very eyes, sparking the start of their most recognisable hit, Nanana. Everyone - from the photographers to the bassist, whether they were under the spotlights or throughout the venue - collectively lashed out into moshing and crowd surfing, hyping up a bid farewell with a pop punk-esque mannerism.
It’s safe to say that from their mesmerising visuals to their open synergy with the crowd, Avalon Bloom became, in the span of a single night, masters at harmonising a world where many worlds fit.
