One hand raised to the heavens, the other fixed sharply on her hip, Olivia Dean is beaming. The 25-year-old musician is just three songs into her largest headline tour so far, and Echo – last year’s suave, soulful pop single about possibly misplaced trust – is a chic foil for her glamorous, Supremes-style choreography and her chemistry with her charismatic seven-piece band. With one flick of the wrist she summons a flourish of keys, a cymbal splash or a joyous trombone solo, and Dean looks both thrilled and in total control.
Still: “I’m quite nervous this evening,” she confesses, delicately sipping a Red Stripe. It’s surprising to hear from the Brit School graduate, a week after she delivered a stand-out Coachella set but, then again, Dean’s crowds are growing rapidly. Only last year she played to an audience a quarter of the size, down the road at King Tuts. She’s since been nominated for three Brit awards, and in June she’s bound for Glastonbury’s Pyramid stage.
