LIVE: Ella Eyre – Manchester Albert Hall 06.11.15

Ella Eyre’s rise to fame has been quick and successful. She is just departing on her biggest tour to date which sees her visiting many well-known music locations across the country and after receiving a MOBO award for the best newcomer, life seemingly could not be any better for her. Her MOBO award sees the artist pick up her second prize in two years, after winning the best newcomer category last year. There was no doubt amongst many that she would struggle after breaking apart from the dance and bass combo group Rudimental. She had the voice, the look, the determination and the sass to be able to put on a show and she sure has shown she is capable of hanging in her solo career, even performing on the Radio One Extra does the Proms night; all at the age of just 21.

The tour is aimed at promoting her debut album Feline, which peaked at number 4 in the charts, and includes such songs as ‘If I Go’, ‘Together’ and ‘Comeback’. Ella also has a back catalogue of classics she can pull out of the bag to make sure the crowd jump and sing a long too. These include the Rudimental track ‘Waiting All Night’ and her own cover version of ‘We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off’, which, when performed last year, received a massive wave of love and affection. Her style can be taken from her influences, who she lists as Lauryn Hill, Etta James and Basement Jaxx. The polymerization of soul with heavy bass and rhythm can really be seen throughout her work.

But what of the support act for the evening? Jasmine Thompson is a very interesting choice. The 14 year old singer songwriter from London can both play the piano and guitar and can boast having one of her songs feature in the UK top 40 at such a young age. Her covers of songs sure got the crowd hyped up, and the reaction to her version of ‘Ain’t Nobody’ by Chaka Khan was heart-warming. She looked at ease performing on the stage in front of a sold out crowd, which takes a lot of bravery on her behalf because I know that if I was in that situation at her age I would never have been able to perform! As a young teen and already touring with the likes of Ella Eyre, this young girl’s career is surely taking off in the right direction, and the audience definitely agreed.

The second support band were an acoustic trio known as Flawes. The trio from London have stamped their place in the music scene with the delightfully addictive song ‘Don’t Wait For Me’. The song itself is based on receiving mixed messages whilst dating someone, eventually ending with the breakup procedure. Keyboard player Carruthers is actually Ella Eyre’s keyboard player, so a natural choice as a warm up act. The bands funky and toe tapping beats sure went down a treat with the crowd, who seemed very engaged with what they were hearing. Playing in front of a crowd this big must be daunting, especially seeing as it is fully sold out, and the band handled this and played very well.

As Ella took to the stage the atmosphere was at a fever pitch. The age range on display in the audience was warming, you had the young and eager fans screaming and shouting alongside the older folk who can clearly see talent. Ella walked on stage in her plunging golden cat suit and started singing ‘All About You’. She described Manchester as her, “second home” which brought out an admirable cheer from the crowd. The tempo was mastered well, she would partner the more upbeat songs such as ‘Good Times’ with the slower numbers like ‘Even If’. There was no sign of any backing tracks or heavier beats to accompany Ella, which is favourable because many live performances use this to compensate for a lack of vocal ability in a live environment. The audience were at their most excitable when Ella performed her collaboration classics ‘Gravity’ and ‘Waiting All Night’, along with her own mashup of Nina Simone’s ‘Feeling Good’ with her own track ‘If I Go’.

Ella seems so humble and appreciative of her fans. Despite admitting recently that she does not follow any of her mega fans on Twitter she seems in awe of just how many people are in love with her and her music. She sure knows how to put on a good show, despite being so young. At the age of 21, with one album and two tours behind her the future sure looks promising for this young talent. If she continues to perform as she does and win as many awards as she has been then she will surely be a star of major proportions in the very near future.

Oliver Hope

Oliver Hope
Oliver. Twenty Two year old gigaholic. Currently living in Manchester. Master's qualified journalist.
Oliver Hope

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