There’s always a fear, with actors turned musicians, that their name alone has gotten them the success they are enjoying. To escape this assumption, Djo, the musical brainchild of actor Joe Keery, used to perform his debut album Twenty Twenty while wearing a blonde wig and sunglasses, effectively avoiding the association between his acting and musical careers.

This Sunday in 3Olympia, though, Keery has stripped off the accessories and shows up bare-faced and all-smiles, having long-proven his legitimacy as a synth-pop heavyweight across his three critically acclaimed albums.

Djo at 3Olympia. Copyright by Curtis DeSmith.

Tonight, there is no question as to whether or not Keery deserves this sold-out venue. The musician enters the stage among orange strobe lights and accompanied by atmospheric synth chords, before jumping into rousing openers ‘Runner’ and ‘Gloom’, arranged with heavy guitars and powerful drums for the occasion. From the get-go, it’s clear that the singer, his band and the crowd are all having an absolute blast, dancing and smiling together to every joyful note.

Across his discography, Djo explores themes of the existential ennui and unrelenting anxiety that characterise being a 20-something year-old, all set to bouncy and groovy synth-filled numbers which, in their catchyness, clash against the dread-filled lyrics “I just graduated, top of my class, furthest from last, so why do I feel so bad?” of ‘Link’.

Djo at 3Olympia. Copyright by Curtis DeSmith.

All throughout, Keery’s set is filled to the brim with dance-inducing and riveting, slightly psychedelic tunes that force the head to bounce in tempo, like the hip-swinging newcomer ‘Basic Being Basic’ or the tongue-in-cheek, joyful melodies of ‘Charlie’s Garden’.

On top of these boisterous sounds, Djo is also a master when it comes to slower, more languorous tunes, best characterised by ‘Fool’ and the following track ‘Figure You Out’, two standouts of the evening. The beat slows down, the guitar chords become heavily reverbed, and dreamy synths line the sound, letting the songs take on a slightly jazzy and romantic quality.

Djo at 3Olympia. Copyright by Curtis DeSmith.

These arrangements are also dialed up in the live version of ‘Chateau (Feel Alright)’ (introduced by Keery as “a love song for ya’”), which becomes an incredibly glistening and intimate number for the occasion.

Keeping on that impassioned quality, Keery also offers sentimentally explosive numbers like ‘Egg’ or the TikTok hit ‘End Of Beginning’, both lined with stirring synth melodies and gently fiery bridges that evoke a sort of bittersweet emotional catharsis.

Djo at 3Olympia. Copyright by Curtis DeSmith.

In a rare moment of relative minimalism, the musician allows himself a ballad of sorts in the form of ‘Fly’, made incredibly otherworldly by Keery’s undeniable vocal skills, the richly textured harmonies of the live band and the choir-like performance of the crowd, who sings back every word of the delicate track’s chorus.

From the set’s closing track ‘Poison’ and all throughout the encore (namely ‘Back On You’ and ‘Flash Mountain’), it feels impossible not to sway your hips with the rhythms of the bouncy synths and exuberant bass lines. Just as listening to Djo’s discography, the show leaves you filled with cheerfulness, and a slight sense of inexplicable melancholy.