Holly Humberstone’s penultimate show on the European leg of her tour was set to be an electrifying performance, the sold-out Bristol Beacon was filled with much anticipation for the Brit Award Winner to begin her performance.
After an incredible supporting act from the band Medium Build which got the crowd warmed up and enlivened, the stage at the Bristol Beacon glowed a warm red and Holly Humberstone graced the stage. She was met with a sea of clapping and excited cheers from the audience and opened with the first track from her debut album of the same name, ‘Paint My Bedroom Black’, which was released in October 2023.
Holly Humberstone had a perfect blend of synth-pop and indie rock in her performance. She began playing the soulful ‘Dive’ which features on her brand-new EP ‘work in progress’ released just the day before this performance. Following this Humberstone introduced her first ever single ‘Deep End’ as she thanked the crowd for sticking with her for the past 4 years, highlighting the establishment her career has gained so far, yet also giving the sense that this is just beginning of her success.
Personally, one of my favourite moments of her performance was ‘Cocoon’ from her debut album, where she brought back out Medium Build for a duet. The chemistry onstage between the two of them was invigorating, and the raspy and breathy harmonies of their voices together were truly beautiful.
Slowing the pace, Holly sat at a piano and shared a painfully relatable anecdote of moving to a new city during the pandemic and feeling alone without her loved ones. She began playing the beautiful and emotive “London is Lonely”, showcasing the impressive multitude of talents from singing to songwriting and the playing of the guitars and pianos along with this.
After an echo of chants for an encore Humberstone and her band ran back onto the stage and performed soft ‘Friendly Fire’ which the crowd sang back to Holly. From my view on Level 2 of the venue I could see fans in the pit gripping their friends’ hands, arms round each other, singing together. Finally, Holly concluded with the punchy ‘Scarlett’. By this point in the performance, the audience in the balcony seats were standing, dancing and waving their arms along to the song, this was the perfect end to a captivating evening.
Without a doubt, Holly did not disappoint on this Friday evening in Bristol. She filled the arena with her distinctive voice, beautiful songs and stage presence. A heartwarming and special night delivered by Holly Humberstone, one which Bristol certainly won’t forget anytime soon.”
Photos by Owin Wong – no use without permission
Words by Martha Humphreys
TrueStyleMusic 