Magdalena Bay & Allie X at Cardiff Depot: Gig Review

Magdalena Bay & Allie X performing at Depot, Cardiff, 03/02/2026

Shot by Magda Kanecka

Magda Kanecka | February 2026

As the second show of their UK-EU Imaginal Mystery Tour, the Miami-based duo Magdalena Bay, consisting of Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin, as well as their touring band, took the stage at Cardiff Depot on 3 February 2025.

As a long-term fan of theirs, this was the most excited I had been for a gig in a long time. Additionally, the show taking place on my 22^nd birthday made the show even more special for me.

This tour follows the release of their second full-length album, “Imaginal Disk” (2024), which has been among my top-streamed albums since its drop. While neither the venue nor the city are local to me (and, in fact, I had never visited Cardiff before), I knew this tour was not one to miss, so when I saw they had a show lined up for my birthday, I immediately knew I had to be there.

Opener: Allie X

Before the show, I had only known a couple of Allie X’s songs, but I was aware that in style, the two artists on the lineup matched stylistically, appealing to a similar audience – think bordering alt-electro pop with heavy bass and heartfelt vocals.

She opened with her most popular track, “Bitch”, setting an energetic pace to her setlist. The song built up from a slower pace to a faster one, warming the crowd up to her music.

During her set, she discussed working with Mitski during the COVID-19 lockdown on the song “Susie Save Your Love”, and later, Allie described releasing her latest album – “Happiness Is Going To Get You” – before closing with by far my favourite song from her, “Girl of the Year.”

Allie X’s set was lively and engaging for the crowd, even for those who were unfamiliar with her music beforehand. She is so exceptionally expressive in her movement on stage, and that alone had me coming back to her music after the show.

Magdalena Bay

What immediately caught my eye as soon as Magdalena Bay’s set started was their stage design. This was something I had not seen in a long time – everything from start to finish, from the left through to the right side, had a purpose and was used thoroughly as the show went on.

Matt and Mica told the story of “Imaginal Disk” not only through music, but also the prompts they used. As described, these included masks, costumes, videos displayed across two screens, or other decorations across their instrument set-up, such as a large winged eye covering Matt’s guitar setup, all tied together to explore the lore behind their album.

Starting with “She Looked Like Me!”, the first track of their latest album, felt so appropriate as a setlist opener, primarily because the first line of the song quite literally welcomes the audience with a curious “hello” from lead singer Mica.

Discussing themes like life and death, the afterlife, and good versus evil, it felt like the crowd was watching a story unfold while also enjoying the music as part of it, in a way that wasn’t forced and was told with great intent. An example of this was lead singer Mica sitting down on the left side of the stage as one of the TV-like screens lit up for their song “Watching T.V.”.

The live band’s use of instruments, including drums, synths, and numerous guitars, along with Mica’s iconic keytar, paired so well with the tracks they played, flawlessly bringing to life the studio versions of their songs.

I was so glad to see the setlist include a mix of fan favourites, promotional tracks from “Imaginal Disk”, and some older tracks, such as “You Lose!” (my personal favourite song of theirs and one I was so excited to hear live) and “Chaeri”, which featured interactive parts with the crowd singing along with Mica who got down to the barricade, conveniently also right in front of me.

The highlights of the setlist for me were notably the tracks “Top Dog” and “That’s My Floor” – both notable mid-points in the setlist, along with “The Ballad of Matt & Mica”, another one of my favourite songs from the duo, which closed off the setlist before the encore. Magdalena Bay then played some of the newer songs from their upcoming mixtape in the encore: “Second Sleep”, and the second-ever live playthroughs of “This Is The World” and “Nice Day”.

Mica is so flowy in the way she performs, and this was especially displayed through her live rendition of “Love Is Everywhere” and “Cry for Me”, both of which are heavily melody-driven, allowing the lead singer to move around and have fun on set.

Closing off with “The Beginning” wrapped up the show perfectly, especially with the song’s key lines “So if you feel low, sit back, enjoy the show / Like a kaleidoscope in technicolour tonight.” The show was the cherry on top of my birthday celebrations, and I was lucky enough to secure one of the setlists Magdalena Bay had on stage. 

This show is a must for every fan of the duo, and even for casual listeners – they put on a great and visually appealing show that exceeded any expectations I had. For anyone looking for an all-around good time, a treat for both eyes and ears, with a side of genuine storytelling, the Imaginal Mystery Tour is for you, and it is making its way to Antwerp, NL, on February 13 and concluding on February 26 in Stockholm, SE.

Follow Allie X on Instagram here!

Listen to "Happiness Is Going To Get You" here!

Follow Magdalena Bay on Instagram here!

Listen to "Imaginal Disk" here!