On Sunday, Nieve Ella’s ‘Watch It Ache and Bleed Tour’ made a stop at Birmingham’s XOYO. Hailing from the West Midlands, this marked Nieve’s hometown show and she certainly did not disappoint, putting on a stellar performance from start to finish. 

Just an hour after doors the venue was nicely packed out with fans eagerly anticipating the evening ahead. London-based singer-songwriter and best friend of Nieve, Fred Roberts, opened the night with a dynamic set including his upcoming single and a Sabrina Carpenter cover. Ultimately, Roberts was a great opener and the audience really resonated with his music.

Shortly after our headliner Nieve Ella took to the stage to rapturous applause. Wasting no time the band kicked into ‘Anything’ from her latest EP Watch It Ache and Bleed, which made for a perfect opening song. Nieve’s infectious energy was reciprocated by the crowd as the familiar sounds of ‘The Things We Say’ filled the venue. Continuing with the string of intoxicating up-tempo hits, ‘Blu Shirt Boy’ and ‘Sweet Nothings’ followed. From her performance alone you could tell Nieve has a great relationship with her fanbase, this was especially evident when she played her unreleased track ‘Good Grace’ and fans were singing along to every lyric. 

An electric cover of ROLE MODEL’s ‘Look At That Woman’ went down spectacularly well before Nieve and her band slowed things down with ‘The Reason’ and ‘Glasshouses’. In these moments we got to really appreciate the vocals as she delivered the emotionally charged lyrics. Her voice has a rawness which filled the venue beautifully and captured the audience with the impressive vocal display. 

Picking the pace back up and dripping with confidence, Nieve strutted around the stage during ‘Stop Me!’ and ‘Car Park’. The singer must be applauded for her impeccable stage presence; for someone who is still relatively at the beginning of her career she understands how to lead a crowd and dominate a stage. Her sensational hit ‘Ganni Top (She Gets What She Needs)’ was a full-throttle performance and the atmosphere was incredible as we all sang along to every word. Responding to the high energy levels during the song, Nieve jokingly commented she shouldn’t play that one because everyone starts to feel faint. 

‘A fan asked me to please please please play ‘Your Room’ in the line earlier’, Nieve stated as she introduced the song, to which the audience cheered in response. The track went down a treat and it was clear to see it was a crowd-favourite. Ending the main set was a powerful performance of ‘Meet You In The Middle’. 

After a short while Nieve and her band returned to the stage for the encore, beginning with ‘Girlfriend’. Her band must be given their flowers for being an unrelenting force throughout the whole show, their energy never faltering. ‘His Sofa’ and ‘Sugarcoated’ ended the exceptional show, leaving fans satisfied by the fantastic performance and eager for her next tour. Ultimately, Nieve Ella knows how to put on a brilliant performance and I look forward to seeing her again whenever she next plays Birmingham. 

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