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Before Nieve Ella even arrives at Manchester’s Gorilla, there’s a line of excitable gig-goers forming outside the venue. The 21-year-old songwriter already inspires such devotion that, prior to this show, she put out a statement asking fans to be sensible when queuing. Since live music has roared back to life in the UK following lockdown, gig etiquette has been a hot topic of debate, with a noticeable rise in youngsters camping for days before an event – and in extreme cases, fainting at shows. This isn’t necessarily new behaviour, but for an artist of Ella’s size – with only two EPs under her belt – it feels somewhat unheard of.
Yet after recent tours supporting Inhaler and Dylan, two acts with diehard fanbases of their own, it’s no surprise that an artist as charming as Ella would then gain her own passionate following. Shortly after doors open tonight (February 9), Gorilla fills up almost immediately; the room feels hot, sweaty and loud. Phoebe Bridgers’ ‘I Know The End’ and Harry Styles’ ‘Kiwi’ play over the PA before Ella hits the stage, inspiring singalongs from a young crowd, with the majority donning hair ribbons and plaits.
Credit: Max Rowley
Arriving to a flurry of breathless screams, Ella dives straight into the propulsive, Indigo De Souza-like ‘Big House’. Continuing to draw largely from 2023’s stellar ‘Lifetime Of Wanting’ EP, she smiles as she sings directly to the fans along the barrier; they gaze at her lovingly and hang onto her every word, creating a real intimate exchange.
Between the driving, fast-paced ‘Your Room’ and ‘His Sofa’, the singer and her band rarely allow themselves a moment of respite – except when Ella pauses proceedings after a particularly euphoric cover of ‘You & Me Song’ by The Wannadies in order to check that her audience is hydrated and safe. “This has been the best show we’ve ever done,” she says at one point, before turning to her bandmates and adding, “Wouldn’t you say?!”
Credit: Max Rowley
Personable, funny, and clearly humbled by the size of this sold-out, 520-capacity room, Ella regularly points out friends and fans she recognises in the crowd throughout the evening. The atmosphere is communal and electric. Crucially, for an artist so early on in their career, Ella’s confidence proves why her music warrants such dedication – these dynamic indie-rock songs are made to be belted out.
‘Big House’
‘Fall 4 U’
’19 In A Week’
‘Your Room’
‘The Things We Say’
‘You & Me Song’
‘Car Park’
‘White Roses’
‘His Sofa’
‘Lifetime Of Wanting’
‘Girlfriend’
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“Express yourself,” a whispered voice hushes through the main stage as the lights flicker. Doja Cat is about to take to the main stage to headline the final night of Coachella 2024, and when she emerges at the end of the runway in a hazmat suit, you know she’s going to do as those two words say.
For the rapper, expressing herself often means doing things others might not – either because her form of expression is too off-the-wall for the rest of the world or too controversial. Tonight, she proves the former spirit is well and truly alive, bringing a touch of brilliant weirdness to the desert.
After the opening two songs, she takes off the white suit that leaves only her face visible to reveal a body suit covered in long locks of blonde hair. Ominous tones roll out over the field as she crawls up to the main stage before ‘Demons’ cuts in, and she’s joined by dancers dressed in yeti costumes. If these are the demons she’s rapping about, they don’t look too bad – cuddly, almost – and she embraces them fully, climbing on one’s shoulders to deliver the final parts of the track.
This is just the beginning of the Doja Cat spectacle tonight, which includes multiple outfit changes and stage antics that get increasingly madcap. After a commanding ‘Tia Tamera’, she disappears behind a curtain, only her silhouette visible, as the buzzing sound of an electric razor whirrs, and she pretends to shave off the thigh-length blonde hair she’s been whipping around until now. When she emerges, she sports a shaved head and a look that can only be described as high fashion cyborg.
As the performance enters its final throes, she’s joined by a very special, unusual guest – the gigantic skeleton of a dinosaur. It rolls down the runway after her as she airs ‘WYM Freestyle’, looking like she’s about to be its next victim. Before the track is up, though, it appears to decide Doja is too formidable an opponent and retreats back to where it came from.
Formidable is exactly what the star is tonight, crafting a fiery set that bounces through her rap-focused songs and never lets the energy drop. ‘OKLOSER’, which gets its live debut tonight, is an infectious highlight, while ‘Balut’ drops the tempo to something a little more soulful but still powerful. When she brings out living human guests to join her on stage, she doesn’t come close to being overshadowed.
21 Savage appears for ’n.h.i.e.’, while Teezo Touchdown ups the weird, vocalising into a flower that seems to require his whole head to be submerged in its petals. A$AP Rocky makes his second appearance of the weekend for a ferocious ‘URRRGE!!!!!!!!!!’, trading bars with his host from the top of a scaffolding tower. Earlier in the evening, South African a cappella group The Joy bring light to ‘Shutcho’.
It’s unfortunate that the crowd tonight isn’t much bigger than it is – or that, other than the fans down the front, its energy isn’t far higher. Sure, it’s the final night of the weekend and the chilly desert winds are roaring, but the reception for Doja is disappointingly flat. Perhaps that’s because she doesn’t give the casual viewers what they want – her pop hits. There is no ‘Say So’ in this set, nor a rendition of ‘Kiss Me More’ – with or without a cameo from SZA. ‘Paint The Town Red’, her latest smash, is saved until the penultimate track in the setlist, but even when its opening notes drop, the response is muted.
Regardless, Doja sticks to her guns throughout and closes the performance in the kind of way that leaves the audience confused. After a brief break from the stage, the rapper reappears back at the end of the runway, which has now turned into a ring full of slimy, grey mud. She and her dancers get stuck into the mess as she closes the set with ‘Wet Vagina’, somehow not slipping and sliding through it but nailing the choreography.
As Doja strides back to the main stage and blows a kiss goodbye, the crowd hesitates, wondering, “Is that it?” They get their answer when the lights finally go out – a subdued ending, perhaps, but one that comes after 90 minutes of pure pageantry.
‘Acknowledge Me’
‘Shutcho’
‘Demons’
‘Tia Tamera’
‘Fuck The Girls (FTG)’
‘Gun’
‘OKLOSER’
‘Ouchies
‘n.h.i.e.’
‘Attention’
’97’
‘Balut’
‘Need To Know’
‘MASC’
‘Streets’
‘Agora Hills’
‘Ain’t Shit’
‘WYM Freestyle’
‘URRRGE!!!!!!!!!!’
‘Paint The Town Red’
‘Wet Vagina’
