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Melanie Martinez Portals tour was a magical experience but one thing was missing

EXCLUSIVE: Melanie Martinez donned her famous pink prosthetics to charm an audience at Londons Wembley Arena, but one major element had fans in tears as she bade farewell to Cry Baby

Melanie Martinez took to the stage in London for the first time in four years last week with her much anticipated Portals tour but one major thing held her incredible performance back.

The Voice alum Melanie introduced fans to her new alter-ego earlier this year with the release of her third album, including tracks like Spider Web, Void and Battle of the Larynx. Donning her eerie, four-eyed prosthetics, she had an ethereal air as she floated around the stage accompanied by four incredible dancers at times taking on the role of a spider, witches around a cauldron and other goblin-like beings.

But as displayed on the screens at the start of the gig, Melanies character Cry Baby is no more. Showcasing the words RIP Cry Baby carved into a tree, the promise was true every track Melanie performed on the night was from her latest album, with no Cry Baby or K-12 tracks making an appearance.

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For the most part, Id resigned myself to the slightly electronic, cottagecore vibe of her Portals album, and enjoyed the rockier vibes of Evil and Battle of the Larynx. But by the time Melanies encore rolled around, I honestly thought shed treat the audience to one of her hits like Dollhouse, Pity Party or Mad Hatter.

[Melanie Martinez]

Melanie Martinez' Portals tour was a trippy experience through a solid concept album(Image: Redferns)

It felt a little like a cop-out. Melanie recently announced her Trilogy tour, which is set to draw all three of her albums together to chart the story of Cry Baby, drawn through childhood, school and finally a mysterious afterlife in Portals.

Refusing to include the hits might have just been a nod to the solidity of her concept album, but it felt like a ploy to sell more tickets to her next series of shows.

Sadly, it wasnt to be. Thats not to say that Melanies performance wasnt a vibrant experience with her fans screaming every lyric back at her. She managed to turn the OVO Wembley Arena into a surprisingly intimate space, capturing her audiences attention with mysterious visuals displayed on screen and a live band on podiums behind her.

[Melanie Martinez]

Melanie Martinez has ditched her Cry Baby persona(Image: instagram/ melanie martinez )

With her theremin player taking centre stage for many of the Portals tracks, it was Melanies dancers who also stole the show. The foursome managed to contort themselves into a series of bizarre positions, throwing themselves about the stage with cartwheels, hand-walking and other acrobatic feats that proved the perfect accompaniment to her new album.

Supporting Melanie on her UK leg of the tour was UPSAHL, who rocked the crowd with hits like Drugs, No Hands and People I Dont Like. Im incredibly glad I was there in time to catch the opener, as she offered a much-needed burst of energy to a flagging crowd, with doors set to open at 6pm but the first act not on stage until 8:30pm.

[Melanie Martinez]

The star's dancers took centre stage for an ethereal performance(Image: Redferns)

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What the Portals tour really does provide is the end to Cry Babys story. Cinched in a pretty bow with the loose ends tied up in tracks like Nymphology and Faerie Soire, the gig really did feel like the close of a trilogy, a storybook unfolding through music, lyrics and ethereal visuals.

It truly is an experience only Melanie Martinez could provide and Id happily do it all over again.

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