Love him or hate him, Artemas is on the ascent. For the past few years, he has been dividing audiences with his overtly sexualised, often vainglorious lyrics, and controversial album covers featuring beautiful but disconcertingly skinny Instagram models. However his viral darkwave single “i like the way you kiss me” placed Artemas firmly on the alt-pop map with over one billion streams in 2024, and his fame has escalated ever since.
Last Tuesday, he played one of his largest gigs to date at Camden’s Roundhouse, his only UK date before touring the US. Following a quirky opening act by Panicbaby, Artemas came on stage around 9pm, launching into “superstar” – one of the many synthy, moody tracks from his latest mixtape, LOVERCORE, released last autumn.
True to the 26-year-old’s bedroom pop aesthetic, the staging was understated, with Artemas and a sampler on stage, the guitarist and drummer behind, all backdropped by a single sheet. This simplicity was mirrored by the lighting choice, with each song demarcated by a single colour theme (“superstar” being allocated the colour blue, the proceeding hypnotic hit “vanish” a fuschia pink). Along with the slightly over-sized suit Artemas wore throughout, this rudimentary set was somewhat reminiscent of a high-school prom night – and indeed the crowd largely comprised couples and friendship groups who most likely had theirs not too long ago.
Artemas showcased his impressive vocal range throughout, his high notes nigh-on flawless on the alt-RnB tune “ur special to me” and his breakout song “if u think i’m pretty”, the key only faltering occasionally toward the end of the set due to what seemed to be a faulty earpiece. Even with Artemas’ range, it could have been easy for the back-to-back synth-pop melodies to become prosaic, but Toby Daintree’s spectacular guitar solos on the more popular earworms “how could u love somebody like me” and “dirty little secret” provided needed texture.
Even when his fans weren’t familiar with some of the newer tracks, Artemas gamely kept up his sybaritic persona, moving sensuously around the stage and singing into the audience. Unsurprisingly, he saved “i like the way u kiss me” as the penultimate song, girls in spaghetti strap crop tops and miniskirts screaming the lyrics back at him, before ending on the stripped-back ballad “as i wave goodbye”. If Artemas can command an audience this easily at the Roundhouse, it won’t be long until we’re watching him play a venue much bigger.
Read our interview with Artemas by clicking here.
Review Anna Jane Begley
Photography Luke Dyson
