Holly Humberstone Rescue rooms gig

British singer-songwriter, Holly Humberstone, played a sold-out Rescue Rooms gig on Wednesday 10th November 2021. Despite the artists recent trip to the US including a performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, an interview with James Corden and her much anticipated US tour due to commence early next year.  

The young talent couldn’t help but express her excitement to play a packed-out crowd filled with not only her fans, but her friends and family. It was clear that this gig had been as looked forward to by Holly as much as her fans as she explained on stage that her excitement stemmed from Nottingham being the closest city to her hometown, Grantham. Throughout the gig, Holly thanked her audience for sticking with her and showing up as it was one of the many to be continuously postponed by coronavirus.  

Pre-gig Holly went outside to meet her fans who queued hours ahead of the doors opening to thank them for their support as well as taking them for photos. Lucy Crisp was lucky enough to meet Holly claiming that: “It was evident that her live gig at Rescue Rooms meant a lot to her as well as her family and friends who were attending that night.” Holly’s parents were also there to meet the audience and took the time to be interviewed post-gig.  

As the doors opened at 6:30pm on the cold Wednesday evening, anticipation grew amongst the audience, and it was clear that they were expecting something special, Holly did not disappoint. Hollys support act and friend, Dylan Fraiser, warmed up the crowd ahead of her performance.  

Hollys’ excitement was clear as she illuminated the stage alone in front of the packed-out floor and balcony. The gig overall offered a perfect balance between acoustic and electronic pieces making her performance a lot more unique than the stereotypical indie pop artists you would normally see live. 

She opened the gig perfectly as she stunned the room to silence delivering an emotional yet upbeat performance of Vanilla as she built up her angelic harmonies on a loop stunning the room to silence. Throughout the gig, she continued to grace the stage playing pianos, guitars, synths and drum pad loops not only using her immense talent but also her stage presence to encapsulate the crowd’s attention taking them on an emotional journey throughout the set.  

It was clear that even though Hollys emotional lyrics are inspired by first hand experiences, that resonate with her audience who sang along with both feeling and passion. It is likely that the audience felt similarly about her views on growing older, family, relationships, and friendships due them being of a similar age.  

Throughout her stunning set, Holly explained the stories behind the music that meant the most to her as she gave details about why the songs were written giving a personal feel to the gig. Prior to her moving performance of Haunted House, Holly spoke about having to let go of her childhood home and the fear that this gave her.  

Family was a running theme as after this performance she spoke to her audience about her family, specifically one of her sisters. As she moved from her piano back to her guitar, Holly explained that she does not like opening up and speaking to people about her emotions. She explained that this song was dedicated to her sister who was struggling with her mental health ahead of her performance of Deep End. 

Holly then went on to perform Please Don’t Leave Me Just Yet which was mesmerising to see live, as the young talent layered and built up musical textures throughout her 1 minute introduction using drum loop pads and synthesisers without any assistance once again demonstrating her incredible stage presence.  

During another break between songs, Holly also spoke about a previous relationship with somebody that she loved breaking down before she performed an unreleased track Friendly Fire which features on her EP The Walls Are Way Too thin’ which was released last Friday. During both Friendly Fire and other unreleased track Thursday the venue was stunned to silence. The audience were in awe of being privileged enough to hear these unreleased tracks as well as them being able to see the sheer emotion and rawness of her performance.  

 As the gig got more upbeat, Holly went to speak about her best friend Scarlett who was present at the gig as well as the inspiration for another song off her EP “Scarlett.” Prior to her performance, Holly explained that this 80s synth bop was written as an empowering message to Scarlett’s selfish ex, and since has become a fan favourite off the EP.  

Hollys penultimate performance was a crowd pleaser and brought back memories of lockdown for many and it was, Falling asleep at the Wheel. This exceeded all expectations from a live perspective, from the honest vocal tone to the astonishing production it was an honour to witness. Holly returned to the stage for her encore performance of another fan favourite The Wall are Way too thin which was equally enjoyed by Holly and her fans. This was a perfect intimate venue for Holly and it so refreshing to see a young talented female gracing the stage alone and doing it so seamlessly.   

We hope to see Holly return to Nottingham as her success continues as she grows into the artist and performer that she deserves to be. It will be no surprise to see this fresh talent to win a BRIT Award in the future and it was an honour to see her live at the start of her journey.