Featured image and gallery: Gracie Hall
Stevie Bill and her guitarist Jacob open the night with a set of indie pop bangers. Born in Amsterdam, but based in NYC, she has been releasing songs since 2020 but recently had a viral TikTok hit with ‘Hahaha’. With a rose-adorned mic stand, she serenades the crowd with a clear and pure voice and dances across the stage with boundless energy.
Nieve Ella and her band emerge to screams and cheers from the sold-out room. In fact, every night of her debut 9-date UK and European headline tour has sold out. Such is the fervour that fans have been lining up since the morning for the 21-year-old, despite her wishes for fans to keep out of the cold and rain.
Opening with ‘Big House’, Nieve and her stage mates put on a rocking performance. The delighted younger female audience have all arrived with bows in their hair and bunny Jellycats, both signature accessories of Nieve herself, who sports multiple bows and has one tied to her mic stand.
She takes a moment to shout out to a few special people in the crowd: a boy she hadn’t seen since Year 6, and her very first fan, Dani. She mentions that she and Dani first spoke four years ago and had never actually seen each other.
Unreleased song, ’The Things we Say’ is a standout, with a select few fans given a first listen to the song outside the venue by Nieve’s team. She then covers The La’s classic, ‘There She Goes’. Even the parents at the back of the room sing along. ‘His Sofa’ highlights the chemistry between Nieve and Fran Larkin (bassist), as they play their instruments to each other with full shining grins. Fin Marlow and Matt Garnett accompany the girls on guitar and drums and manage to keep up with their vigour.
‘Lifetime of Wanting’ is an emotional ballad that doesn’t leave a dry eye in the room. Many people have met through the community Nieve has cultivated and it’s a heart-warming sight to see friends embrace each other. The song ends with the refrain of “You’re Everything I Wanted”, while Nieve and her fans stare at each other knowing the feelings she’s singing about represent their relationship.
The night closes with ‘Girlfriend’, her debut single from 2022. A perfect song to encapsulate the evening with its catchy hooks and fast pace. Fans hand Nieve a bouquet of colourful flowers and Fran walks off the stage waving a Lesbian Pride flag.
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