The most captivating indie-pop artist of the moment, Nieve Ella, played to a sold-out crowd in London’s KOKO last week, her biggest headline show to date. The crowd was teeming with long-time fans who were raring to see her on a stage of this scale.
It was impossible not to reflect on my first time seeing Nieve: the crowd was slim and the songs unknown, but I was hooked. Now playing at the iconic KOKO, Nieve Ella and her band have clearly progressed to the next level.
Photo Credit: Mollie McKay
Strutting onto stage in one of her insanely cool outfits, Nieve opened with ‘Anything’, the first track on her new EP Watch It Ache and Bleed. This EP that fans have been patiently waiting to see live, contains a blend of beautiful, raw, emotional ballads, alongside Nieve’s signature indie-pop bangers. One of these aforementioned bangers was up next: ‘The Things We Say’ is a perfect pop song in that it is so damn fun to sing along to. The crowd reflected this, the energy booming in anticipation for the remainder of the set.
When introducing the next track, ‘Blu Shirt Boy’, Nieve caveated with “this is an old one…” and began to play over the cheers of the crowd, who recognised it from the first chord. Nieve possesses the unique, invaluable ability to create a true fanbase, a group of people who are enthralled by everything she does (explaining why a ‘sold out KOKO’ sang along to even the oldest of her songs).
Photo Credit: Mollie McKay
‘Sweet Nothings’ followed. A dreamy, flowing track that is a wonderful blend of romance and rock. The band brought out their loved ones to sing along with them for this song, a sweet sentiment that brought a smile to everyone’s faces. During more emotional tracks like ‘The Reason’ and ‘Glasshouses’, it felt Nieve took the opportunity to show off her vocals, belting and embracing every note. She sounded better than ever.
The band picked things back up with ‘Stop me!’, a new favourite of mine, mostly because of the addictive bridge. Nieve rocked around in her signature ethereal, gothy way and the crowd was lapping it up. Not only is Nieve performing at her very best, but the band seemed tighter than ever. Especially when playing ‘Ganni Top’, a rocky track with heavy drums and bass, and one of Nieve’s most iconic new singles.
Photo Credit: Mollie McKay
The show wrapped with ‘Sugarcoated’, a beloved track found on the new EP, seemingly dear to both Nieve and her fans. With lyrics like “the loneliest place is a crowded room where everyone wants a piece of you”, Nieve has performed her signature magic of creating an intensely catchy pop song riddled with exposing lyrics.
Nieve Ella, normally a charming rambler at her shows, was rather quiet throughout this performance. She expressed that she was “at a loss for words” and wanted to say “thank you for selling out their biggest show to date.”
