By Lauren Meaney
Samuel Holden Jaffe, known to fans as Del Water Gap, launched his 2025 tour with a sold-out show at London’s HERE at Outernet, just one day before hitting the stage at Reading and Leeds Festival.
Best known for his breakout hit Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat, Jaffe proved once again why he remains one of indie pop’s most magnetic performers.
The evening began with an opening set from Unflirt, whose dreamy indie-pop mix set the tone perfectly. Her latest track, Sea Song, dropped at midnight after the show – a fitting celebration for a rising act on the bill.
From the first notes of the headlining set, the atmosphere was electric. Fans were jumping, shouting every word, and holding signs high up in the air as Jaffe powered through high-energy tracks like Coping on Unemployment and Better Than I Know Myself before easing into a softer, more intimate run with High Tops, Purple Teeth, and the live debut of Please Follow.
Throughout the night, Jaffe kept the connection with fans playful and personal – at one point inviting them to toss items on stage and even playing rock-paper-scissors with one lucky crowd member to win the night’s setlist.
Introducing How to Live, a track that recently made its live debut at Lollapalooza, he explained it was about ‘feeling really existential,’ a sentiment that resonated with the crowd.
The night’s biggest eruption came with Beach House, a heavier track amplified by red, intense strobe lighting.
Jaffe also connected with his fans through humour, joking about bringing Niall Horan onstage (after previously opening for him at The O2). He shared that he has spent a lot of time in London, where he has written many songs, including Marigolds, set to release in a couple of weeks. That moment led into the song’s first live performance, featuring the line: ‘I wanna tell you I’m sorry, I never told you I loved you when I still could.’ The chorus was instantly infectious, with the audience clapping along.
The show continued with fan-favourite Glitter & Honey, performed under sultry red lighting, though reached its most intimate moment during Perfume. Jaffe left the stage to sit among the crowd for the final chorus, before springing up and joining them in a euphoric release.
The night closed with a triumphant rendition of Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat, a cathartic finale that had the entire room dancing, screaming lyrics, and celebrating the beginning of an exciting new era for Del Water Gap.
Setlist:
(Intro)
Coping on Unemployment
Better Than I Know Myself
Doll House
High Tops
Purple Teeth, The Bravery
Please Follow
Alone Together
How to Live
Beach House
Marigolds
Glitter & Honey
Chastain
All We Ever Do Is Talk
Perfume
Ode to a Conversation Stuck in your Throat
Unless otherwise stated, Photography & Text Copyright 2025 © Lauren Meaney/ADRENALINE Magazine.
Kyle Horne 
Chloe Morris 
Jack Walsh