Live Review: Holly Humberstone - Omeara, London 16/08/2021
Since the release of her 2020 debut 'Falling Asleep At The Wheel' fans of Holly Humberstone have been long awaiting the opportunity to witness her tender demonstrations live; the wait is now over!
Playing your first series of headline shows is, without question, pretty daunting. Having then to delay them (thanks to the dreaded C-word) and not knowing exactly when you'll be able to play them indeed only adds to the fact. However, with four nights booked in at London's Omeara, all of which were sold out, might I add, Holly Humberstone had plenty of fervent supporters eagerly waiting and oh did she not disappoint! With support coming from Scotland's Dylan Fraser (and London's Matilda Mann on other dates), it's safe to say we were in great hands.
With Dylan's set, the night was off to a solid start, and for what may have been many's first real in-person gig in over a year, you couldn't knock it. You would expect more than just Holly to walk out from the wing when looking at the setup on stage. But no - there she was by herself - making her set that bit even more impressive. There was her familial spot centre stage, off to one side a piano setup and on the other an alluring rig of sample pads and other pieces, all tied together through live looping and Holly's compelling nature. For any fans of Holly's work, you'll know how incredible her voice is, and I can assure you it doesn't falter live! If anything, embraced by the rustic interior of Omeara, it only got better!
Now picking favourites from Holly's repertoire is frankly just unfair considering how bloody fantastic they all are. However, personal highlights from Monday's gig include her debut's title track 'Falling Asleep At The Wheel' and 'Vanilla', newer singles' Haunted House', and the night's closer 'The Walls Are Way Too Thin', not forgetting the forthcoming release 'Scarlett' - just you wait for this one to drop! On stage, Holly's inviting personality shone through in between tracks, and although labelling herself "awkward," it's a loveable awkwardness, if anything. We were also treated to a one-off exclusive of 'Room Service' during the encore, a brand new song written with collaborative partner Rob Milton who came out from the audience. The two notably bounced off of one another, and getting to hear a piece still in its early stages (live too!) was genuinely humbling. All in all, we were teased with four new songs, and with that, the release of her second EP, 'The Walls Are Way Too Thin' out November 5th - can't come soon enough!
Heading out on tour later this year in not just the UK (but the US too!) I would highly recommend grabbing yourself a ticket before more dates sell out because I think we'll be hearing a lot more of Holly Humberstone in the coming years! So go and catch this promising talent early; I promise you do not want to miss out!
Words by Jess Edwards
Photography provided by Artist Way - Credit: Phoebe Fox