Xana turns Village Underground into a sapphic pop playground on the Until It Wasn’t tour

GigPhotos

26 Feb

The Canadian pop star brought her 2024 album ‘The Sex Was Good Until It Wasn’t’ to the capital.

Xana has never been one to do things quietly, and on Tuesday night at Village Underground in Shoreditch, she proved exactly why she is one of the most exhilarating voices in queer pop right now. The Canadian artist first broke through in 2022 with her debut album Tantrums, quickly building a devoted fan base thanks to her honest words and bittersweet queer storytelling, and bold lyrics that are enough to make your ex feel personally attacked. Now in 2026, Xana is deep in her main character era, touring her latest album The Sex Was Good Until It Wasn’t.

Before Xana appeared, the crowd was treated to a stellar support set from VANÉS. Effortlessly cool and vocally impressive, VANÉS had the room fully warmed up — no easy task considering how tightly packed Village Underground was. By the time she left the stage, the atmosphere was buzzing, phones were raised, and the audience was more than ready to scream their lungs out.

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Xana kicked off the night with Save The Bullets, Baby!, a sweet and punchy opener that immediately sent the room feral and, from the very first beat, the crowd erupted. She flowed seamlessly into The Kicker and Lip Service, both taken from her newest album, showcasing her infectious pop hooks and sharp lyricism that cuts like a knife. babyblue followed, keeping the energy high and the crowd dancing as if nobody had responsibilities the next morning.

Continuing with Better Kind Of Best Friend and Homewrecking Era, Xana leaned fully into performing her latest album in full, and the crowd sang along word for word. These tracks landed fantastically well live, blending humour, vulnerability, and a level of relatability that felt uncomfortably specific in the best possible way.

One of the standout moments of the night came when Xana handed control over to the audience, allowing a fan to choose which older track she would perform. January emerged victorious over Yellow and 19, sending a wave of nostalgia through the venue and had everyone with tears streaming down their faces.

After briefly stepping back in time, Xana snapped the crowd straight back into the present with Sick Joke and FERAL, two tracks that live up entirely to their names. She then launched into her newest single GIRLSGIRL, and was met with deafening screams from every corner of the room.

Another fan chosen moment was blessed with I Did This All For You!, beating out Pray and crying after sex, which somehow felt very emotionally appropriate. The nostalgia continued with Complex and the infamous Kitchen Light, two staples from Tantrums that still hit just as hard live as they did when fans first fell in love with Xana’s music.

Xana initially closed the set with The Sex Was Good!, but the crowd was absolutely not ready to let her go. After relentless chanting, she returned to the stage for an encore, debuting a brand new unreleased track titled Is It Everything You Thought, before closing the night with 4ever, a song that felt surreal to hear live for the entire audience.

By the end of the night, Village Underground was sweaty and euphoric. With equal parts of emotion, comedy and unapologetic queerness — and a stage presence to blow the roof off — this show proved that Xana is exactly where she belongs, centre stage and living her best life.

All photos by Billie Wheeler.