Theatrically released concert films are usually the domain of veteran superstars like Taylor Swift and Beyoncé, but Laufey bucks the trend with flair and no shortage of whimsy in her new performance doc A Night at the Symphony: Hollywood Bowl. As the title suggests, the film captures the Icelandic artist’s late-summer debut at LA’s hallowed amphitheater alongside the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Interspersed between songs are vignettes capturing Laufey’s backstage antics and emotional response to playing her dream venue.
“It was one of those things that I always wanted to do,” Laufey said in a Q&A after the film’s West Coast premiere at The Grove on November 19. “I felt like I had to achieve a certain level to be able to do a concert film, and I definitely didn’t think I’d get there so soon.” While the 25-year-old’s profile is still very much on the rise, she’s been honing her performance chops for a decade—first as a solo cellist for the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, then as a viral jazz-pop phenomenon.
The confidence that comes with knowing that you’re quite literally born to do it (her mother and grandfather are world-renowned violinists) shines through from the moment Laufey takes the stage to belt out “Above the Chinese Restaurant” to 17,000 adoring fans at the Bowl. Nerves visibly evaporate as she slinks through the first half of her set, sharing anecdotes about her love affair with LA, while charming the crowd with deep cuts like “Slow Down” and fan favorites such as the emotional “Letter to My 13 Year Old Self.”
While much of Laufey’s pre-intermission performance is cut from the film in order to focus on the orchestra-accompanied second half, she still manages to play the cello, guitar, and piano—and horse around with her equally talented twin sister, Junia, who comes out for the jazzy “Best Friend.” In some ways, this part of the show feels more alive and intimate, allowing for mini-documentary moments that find the budding superstar driving along Hollywood Boulevard in her vintage Cadillac and musing on life in her adopted hometown.
The focus of the film abruptly shifts in the second half when the LA Phil, ably led by Principal Conductor Thomas Wilkins, joins her on stage. While the scope suddenly changes, director Sam Wrench keeps the focus on Laufey as she feeds off the bigger, bolder sound to perform orchestral arrangements of songs like “Dreamer,” “Valentine,” and the soaring single “Goddess,” which fully demonstrates the newcomer’s vocal mastery and star power.
“Sometimes there’s too much going on,” Wrench says of the long takes that make “Goddess” a set (and movie) highlight, “and you just don’t see those longer extreme closeups.” However, he felt obliged to linger and let Laufey’s artistry speak for itself. “The pace of the edit allows you to actually live in those moments,” he says. The film also lavishes attention on the orchestra itself with loving closeups of flutists and oboists. Which, in some ways, was the whole point.
Laufey and director Sam Wrench
Laufey made it clear in the post-premiere Q&A that one of the main reasons for making the film was introducing a whole new generation to the symphony. “I grew up within the walls of the Iceland Symphony and it has informed every single part of who I am,” she told Variety’s Chris Willman. “It’s getting harder and harder to access [orchestras], and to be able to bring it to young audiences and to my audiences in this very accessible way…was really, really important to me just as a musician.”
As the concert winds to a close with spellbinding renditions of “Bewitched,” the title track of her GRAMMY-winning 2023 album, and breakthrough hit “From the Start,” the symbiosis between performer and orchestra only grows. It’s clear that singing in front of an ocean of instruments is Laufey’s happy place, and somewhere she intends to spend a lot more time. “I really love the swinging orchestra moments where I just dance,” she mused after the screening. “I couldn’t hide any of myself during this concert. Once I’m on stage, I’m just exactly who I am.”
Even the minute missteps that arose from the sheer logistics of performing alongside dozens of musicians delighted Laufey. “I even found myself being on edge during some of those orchestra moments because we’re not planning to click,” she explains. “Anything could go a little wrong and you hear little moments where it’s not completely perfect—and I think there’s so much beauty in that imperfection. It’s one of the reasons why a concert like this is so much more interesting for me to preserve.”
Ultimately, Laufey hopes A Night at the Symphony is a time capsule of sorts that immortalizes the very beginning of her career. “I had never played for that many people before,” she says. “You really got my natural reaction to that during the whole concert.” Given the easy grace of her debut, Laufey has many more nights at the Bowl—and collaborations with prestigious orchestras—in her very bright future.
