The atmosphere was freeing at Romy’s Club Mid Air as people donned eclectic outfits and danced the night away shoulder to shoulder.
Some of humankind’s most memorable and compelling music has come from the dance world. Talented artists like Madonna (“Hung Up”), Robyn (“Dancing On My Own”), and Robin S. (“Show Me Love”) have created euphoric records that not only light up a dancefloor but also encapsulate one of life’s greatest emotions: love.
Although love is a universal feeling—and it comes in many shapes, such as parental, romantic, and platonic—not all forms are valued equally. This year, nearly 500 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced across the country, which is quickly reaching the total number of anti-queer bills introduced the previous year. Yet, despite these continued attacks on queer rights in the U.S. and across the globe, queer artists and activists have been making their voices heard, and there is one voice in particular that has transcended love in a powerful way—and that’s Romy.
Last week in New York, the xx lead singer brought her 2023 debut album, Mid Air, to life at the Knockdown Center. This record, which according to Romy is “a celebration of queer love,” conjures an era before dance music became saturated with big-room drops, pyrotechnics, and flashy LED screens. Instead, Romy leaned on glittery synths and airy soundscapes as she poetically articulated grief, heartbreak, and liberation, with each track delivering an emotional thrust.
The audience reflected these universal yet intimate messages. “Together we all sang, we all cried, we all danced,” one fan said of the show online. The atmosphere had a freeing energy, and people of all ages were donning eclectic outfits, from casual sweats and oversized T-shirts to sparkly runway-ready costumes. Everyone felt confident in what they were wearing.
Throughout the night, Romy’s gentle voice was front and center, but the crowd was equally part of the show.
Song after song, the audience reverberated her hushed melodies, singing the tracks like church hymns and, in effect, creating a communal aura that fused with the strobing lights and heavy haze.
Club Mid Air epitomizes how queerness and dance music deserve to be heard and experienced. Yet it’s hard to imagine that events like these—which focus on expression, acceptance, and self-identity exploration—are being threatened at an alarming rate, with some queer-space organizers even canceling shows after receiving violent messages from right-winged groups.
In the face of queer-related spaces under attack, I’m reminded of the most powerful words that were said that night: “Dance with me, shoulder to shoulder.” Though the lyrics from “Loveher” are more reserved for a romantic partner, the ballad acted more like a caring assurance that night. “We all felt seen,” the same fan said in an Instagram Story.
Early this year, Romy shared that her goal for the album was to create a project that would normalize queer love, which is quite a vocal stance compared to her early shy and minimalistic days of the xx, a sign that she’s grown both as a person and an artist. Romy confidently displayed her vulnerability for her fans last week, and that, despite the current political landscape, she “won’t be ashamed” because, just like the queer artists before her, her message was joyfully clear: “Enjoy Your Life.”
This article has been updated after it previously misstated that the number of anti-LGBTQ bills introduced in the U.S. this year already surpassed 2023’s total number of proposed anti-queer legislation. A fix was also made after the piece mistakingly attributed two quotes to two different fans; the quotes belonged to only one fan.
