ELLIE GOULDING: MANCHESTER, UK - 11.10.21
An excited energy coursed through the 3,000+ people that had crammed into the O2 Apollo as they fidgeted nervously, awaiting the arrival of one of the UK’s most successful female artists of the last decade.
A piano chord signalled her arrival, a lone silhouetted figure entered the stage, microphone in hand, the first unique, raspy yet airy, tone echoed around the venue.
The show began with the first song from the Brightest Blue album, ‘Start’ which was the perfect opener to showcase the two-time Brit Award winner's vocal range. This formed an emotional connection with the audience which continued to build throughout the show.
The tempo of the concert fluctuated from the fast paced ‘Aftertaste’ where the songstress danced without a care, to the much more subdued ‘New Heights’. During the whole set, Goulding had the audience in the palm of her hand, taking them on a roller coaster of highs and lows, with the perfect balance of new material and smash hits.
She is a free spirit who at times seemed to float around the stage with the grace of a ballerina and other times she was rocking out with her orange electric guitar, all the while the audience was lapping up the full experience, dancing along to chart topping hits such as “‘I Need Your Love’, ‘Love Me Like You Do’ and ‘Everything Could Happen’.
Goulding interacted with the crowd between songs, thanking them for appreciating her new music, as well as still loving her older songs.
The set concluded with a two song encore, which started with the electropop song ‘Lights’, then the number one hit ‘Burn’ which had the crowd in raptures, leading to a well-deserved standing ovation at the end of an exceptional performance.
L DEVINE
ELLIE GOULDING
