Live review: Sigrid @ Manchester Academy, 24/03/18
25th March 2018
Share This Article:
At only twenty-one years old, Norwegian pop princess Sigrid has already won BBC's Sound of 2018 and sold out her entire UK tour.
As the crowd filtered in to Manchester's university venue, it was almost impossible to ignore the wide range of ages. Girls as young as six riding in on their dad's shoulders, groups of excitable teens gathered by the barrier, the cool dads leaning against the back walls with their plastic pints, and seventy-year-old fans mingling in the middle of the pit.
Strolling casually onto stage beaming and giving a wave to the screaming crowd, Sigrid opens with 'Go To War', an unreleased track that super-fans will know as a long established opening song for her, but is unknown to most.
She jumps about the stage with the same energy as a puppy, having been held at the back door before being released into its element. It’s clear to see already, as she bounces through just the first song, that the stage is her element and where she feels most home. Her stage set up is simply three coloured boards at the back, with her band on low wooden platforms, channelling that Scandi minimalism we know and love. But nothing is minimal about the way in which Sigrid performs. ‘Schedules’ is a new track of poppy synths and quick drops, and although the crowd hung on her every word and swayed their hips around the beat, it was clear to see they were hungry to be able to sing along. Finally, she plunges into ‘Plot Twist’, the second track from her Don’t Kill My Vibe EP, and the room erupts. “Shots fired!” both Sigrid and the crowd shout before she throws everything into the chorus - and as do her adoring fans. For the majority of ‘Plot Twist’, the singer raises her middle fingers and turns her microphone to the audience, beckoning for them to sing louder.
The room explodes through ‘Fake Friends’, that urge satisfied just for one song. Sigrid points her microphone at a group of fans at the front who scream “don’t need no fake friends, might as well shut down” over the venue’s sound system. It’s another track she barely herself sings as her dedicated following almost overpower her. It's one of her best songs of the night, not only going by the energy in the room but the way that she hits every single note perfectly and struts about the stage with a shining confidence about her. Speeding through a few more unreleased tracks, with only ‘Dynamite’ (from her EP, and which Sigrid introduces as the “sad part of the set”) breaking them up, she bounces into ‘Strangers’ - one of her most successful tracks to date. Even those who aren’t fans of Sigrid would be able to sing along with this one as it’s taken over the radio, television and playlists the world over these last few months. She jumps and skips around the stage, completely owning it and at this point is back to holding the crowd in her palms. The opening bar to ‘Don’t Kill My Vibe’ ignites a fire within the audience, who gear up to completely tear the roof down in the last track of the night. Of course, the energy in the crowd is incredible and, as she smiles widely and thanks everyone for coming, Sigrid’s vibe certainly isn’t killed. And even though everyone left on a high, it's a shame that long stretches of new songs with no introduction slightly dampened ours.
As the crowd filtered in to Manchester's university venue, it was almost impossible to ignore the wide range of ages. Girls as young as six riding in on their dad's shoulders, groups of excitable teens gathered by the barrier, the cool dads leaning against the back walls with their plastic pints, and seventy-year-old fans mingling in the middle of the pit.
Strolling casually onto stage beaming and giving a wave to the screaming crowd, Sigrid opens with 'Go To War', an unreleased track that super-fans will know as a long established opening song for her, but is unknown to most.She jumps about the stage with the same energy as a puppy, having been held at the back door before being released into its element. It’s clear to see already, as she bounces through just the first song, that the stage is her element and where she feels most home. Her stage set up is simply three coloured boards at the back, with her band on low wooden platforms, channelling that Scandi minimalism we know and love. But nothing is minimal about the way in which Sigrid performs. ‘Schedules’ is a new track of poppy synths and quick drops, and although the crowd hung on her every word and swayed their hips around the beat, it was clear to see they were hungry to be able to sing along. Finally, she plunges into ‘Plot Twist’, the second track from her Don’t Kill My Vibe EP, and the room erupts. “Shots fired!” both Sigrid and the crowd shout before she throws everything into the chorus - and as do her adoring fans. For the majority of ‘Plot Twist’, the singer raises her middle fingers and turns her microphone to the audience, beckoning for them to sing louder.
- Article continues below...
- More stories you may like...
- Album Review: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Infest The Rats' Nest
- Fresher Sounds – The best new music – 13/08/19
- Festival Review: Green Man 2019
The room explodes through ‘Fake Friends’, that urge satisfied just for one song. Sigrid points her microphone at a group of fans at the front who scream “don’t need no fake friends, might as well shut down” over the venue’s sound system. It’s another track she barely herself sings as her dedicated following almost overpower her. It's one of her best songs of the night, not only going by the energy in the room but the way that she hits every single note perfectly and struts about the stage with a shining confidence about her. Speeding through a few more unreleased tracks, with only ‘Dynamite’ (from her EP, and which Sigrid introduces as the “sad part of the set”) breaking them up, she bounces into ‘Strangers’ - one of her most successful tracks to date. Even those who aren’t fans of Sigrid would be able to sing along with this one as it’s taken over the radio, television and playlists the world over these last few months. She jumps and skips around the stage, completely owning it and at this point is back to holding the crowd in her palms. The opening bar to ‘Don’t Kill My Vibe’ ignites a fire within the audience, who gear up to completely tear the roof down in the last track of the night. Of course, the energy in the crowd is incredible and, as she smiles widely and thanks everyone for coming, Sigrid’s vibe certainly isn’t killed. And even though everyone left on a high, it's a shame that long stretches of new songs with no introduction slightly dampened ours.
You might also like...
People who read this also read...
TRENDING
TRENDING CHANNELS
CONTRIBUTOR OF THE MONTH