Holly Humberstone
6.30pm seems like a ridiculously early time to be arriving at a venue, especially on a Saturday night, but that is what the ticket says and, sure enough, the snaking line of Holly Humberstone fans is already filing into the University of East Anglia's Nick Rayns LCR as I arrive for the Norwich debut of Grantham's brightest star. It is a surprisingly diverse audience – a complete range of ages and gender mix, all packed onto the floor space, and arranged around the steps, and all jostling to secure the best position and the best view.
Adam Melchor, a New Jersey boy now based in California, is tour support, and does a sterling job of warming up the crowd, getting them to sing along with the chorus of 'Rest of My Night', and recounting the tale of how he came to co-write 'Let Me Know When' with Charlie Puth (a story that probably took about twice as long to tell as it did to actually perform). In between the half dozen songs in his set he manages to thank us every time, and remind us of his name. Which is Adam Melchor. Lest we forget.
The huge stage backdrop for Holly Humberstone is dominated by her name and her 'Boosh-like' logo, but also bears the names of literally hundreds of fans who responded to a Twitter call-out earlier in the year. It is a nice touch, and one that highlights the irrefragible connection that Holly Humberstone has with her audience.
This is Holly's biggest UK tour to date, and comes on the back of a string of summer festival appearances (including Glastonbury, Radio 1's Big Weekend, and Coachella), as well as tour dates with Olivia Rodrigo and Lewis Capaldi. Norwich is the penultimate night of this tour, slipped in between Brixton Academy and what will be her closest thing to a homecoming at Nottingham Rock City. She grew up 30 miles away in Grantham, home of Sir Isaac Newton and his gravity-defining apples, as well as a rather famous grocer's daughter named Margaret Thatcher.
With the talented backing band of Sophie Veie (guitar), James Attwood (bass and keys) and Lauren Anderson (drums) augmenting the sweet richness of Humberstone's voice, the packed LCR audience are treated to a 75 minute set that packs in almost all the songs from the earlier EP releases, together with new material that could be destined for the album that is due in the new year. Free to move seamlessly from keys to guitar, every song is delivered with the raw angst and emotion that inspired it, her voice free to soar and find its audience.
From the struggles of 'The Walls Are Way Too Thin' to the uncertainty of new friendships in 'Sleep Tight', Holly has her adoring audience hanging onto every line, and they euphorically join in, singing back every chorus and verse. Powerful set highlights include the achingly beautiful 'London Is Lonely', and the desperately poignant 'Deep End' (for which Adam Melchor makes a return to the stage).
'Friendly Fire' and 'Haunted House' may each gravitate around different memories of the past, but it is the sight of one excited fan jumping up and down for the entirety of 'Falling Asleep At The Wheel' that will remain with me as a lasting memory of this evening's show.
Between songs, Humberstone may appear awkward and, perhaps, overwhelmed by the rapidity of her stardom. She has a tendency to end sentences with a momentary pause, followed with a self-validating 'Yeah'. But she seems genuinely taken aback by the warmth of her Norwich audience. After some of the massive O2 venues on this tour, our largest music venue must have seemed quite cosy and parochial.
After performing 'Scarlett', a song written for her best friend, as an encore, Holly and the band leave the stage and the lights come up. It is still only quarter past ten. The night is still young. But I feel as though I have already spent an entire evening with one of the country's brightest new stars.
