Holly Humberstone
(Picture: Justin Ng / Avalon)Though still yet to release anything lengthier than an EP, Holly Humberstone has already reached bootleg-merch-outside-the-venue levels of stardom.
That’s not to say the Grantham-born star doesn’t have the credentials for such tributes, being a BRIT winner and near-permanent fixture of the Radio 1 playlist, with upwards of 260 million streams globally and co-signs from The 1975 and Olivia Rodrigo. But watching the 22-year-old play her biggest headline show to date – with a Brixton Academy show just announced for December – it was difficult not to marvel that a singer-songwriter this unassuming could be commanding the attention of tens of thousands of listeners worldwide.
“I’m such an awkward person,” she confided between songs, a confession backed up by tells including a proclivity to exclaim “sick!” or “sweet!” whenever faced with applause. Twice she thanked the audience for “being so nice”, while she palpably bristled with nervous energy during her endearingly rambling song intros. And yet, the instant she picked up the guitar or sat down at her electric piano and simply sang, that timidity all but vanished.
Opening with a propulsive rendition of Vanilla from debut EP Falling Asleep at the Wheel, she layered and looped vocal harmonies before building impressive momentum on her mint green guitar. The unabashedly emo, electronics-tinged pop of Please Don’t Leave Just Yet saw Humberstone proving her prowess as a power balladeer, while backlit in green and silhouetted before an industrial, floor-to-ceiling fan. Later stripping things back to just piano and a pounding beat, she delivered a powerful version of debut single Deep End, a bare-bones ballad that she explained was inspired by her sister’s mental health struggles.
Humberstone’s beautifully bruised coo remained the focal point throughout, with audience members hanging on to her every murmur, whatever the pace of the material. Yet it was the more uptempo singles that truly justified Humberstone’s rapid ascent to stardom, be that Scarlett, with its soaring chorus and whiplash-inducing percussion, or the brilliant, synth-flecked shimmy of The Walls Are Way Too Thin.
Returning to the stage for the encore, she seemed almost embarrassed by the ritual, telling fans, “This is so awkward: as if I’m going to leave without playing the songs you came here to hear.” As a display of humility it proved pretty charming, but gestures like these probably won’t land in the arenas she’s snowballing towards. And with the strong pop songwriting already sorted, if Humberstone can just relax and learn a little showmanship, she could reach unassailable heights.
