PERFUME GENIUS / HAND HABITS 4.5.2022

Apr 9

Words and Photos By Adam W Gerhold

When Michael Alden Hadreas, also know as Perfume Genius, took the stage at Royale - Boston, something changed in the room. The stage, decorated in tapestry stile panels, an intricate wooden chair, and a large pile of what looked like a lace blanket, was light up in reds, and oranges, and blues, and purples. every movement from Hadreas and the band was intentional, smooth, and captivating, and the lights moves and changed with the tones of the music and lyrical content.

The show became an experience more than a musical performance. Hadreas swayed from one side of the stage to the other, sometimes twisting, sometimes dipping and kneeling on the floor. Everything feeling deliberate but organic. Everything worked in unison, expanding on all of our collective senses.

Later in the set, Hadreas, wrapped himself in the lace tarp and moved from sitting, to lying on the floor, pulsating, trying to escape, being wrapped up, dragging, breathing, creating something sensual and sometimes harrowing. The fabric being weightless yet still wrapping around his body was exciting and eerie. The red lights created a sinister feel as if the weightless of it all was also somehow crippling and dense.

The performance ended with a two-song encore that left the crowd changed. The show was filled with underlying messages and statements, leaving us to unpack and resonate on it for the rest of the night and going forward. As I drove the hour plus home, I sat in silence and contemplation of not only the visual stimulation I witnessed, but the deeper meaning and journey I was part of.

It was something. Something confirmed.

PERFUME GENIUS