Much-hyped alt pop singer Holly Humberstone treated us to a night of gorgeously honest tunes and stadium-size singalongs. Despite the grand surroundings of the shiny new NX, her highly personal lyrics and bedroom-written melodies kept things intimate and quietly enchanting.

Support came from local star L Devine, whose clear glee at playing a hometown show shone through in her bouncy stage presence and anthemic choruses. Excelling at queer-focused catchy pop with an indie edge, it’s not a stretch to imagine L Devine headlining this venue herself in the not-so-distant future.

From the first note of ‘The Walls Are Way Too Thin’, it’s clear that Holly Humberstone has a knack for transforming her intimate acoustic tunes into anthemic, vibey rock when performing live. She is note-perfect throughout as she narrates bittersweet tales of heartbreak, loneliness, and her rural Lincolnshire upbringing. Noisy crowd chatter spoils things a little during the quieter parts of the set, but the exciting news that she’s already working on her second album hushes everyone up.

Saving fan-favourite ‘Scarlett’ for the encore, with its take-down of British weather and drunken crying, gets everyone dancing along. It’s clear that in her rapid rise to fame Holly Humberstone has polished a sparkling live performance without losing any of the diary-like honesty of her earliest tracks.

She’s back with us in June – don’t miss out.

Leonie Bellini