Carly Rae Jepsen at Somerset House Summer Series
(Picture: Richard Thompson)When did “nice” become such a damning descriptor? In music, it’s a term often synonymous with an aversion to risk-taking, or symptomatic of a general lack of ambition, but in this age of anxiety what could be more admirable than a pop artist determined to bring listeners some much-needed escapism via pure, unadulterated musical joy?
Carly Rae Jepsen clearly knows the score, naming her latest world tour So Nice without so much as a wink to camera. Fresh from last weekend’s performance at Bristol Pride, the Canadian star closed out the tour’s European leg at Somerset House, bringing with her a five-piece band and a hit-packed setlist so serotonin-replenishing it could justifiably be prescribed on the NHS.
