More about: Kim Petras

The atmosphere grows as opening act Alex Chapman sashays on stage asking “are you ready motherfuckers?”. Yelling “I want everyone in here to fucking party okay?”, they slap on Spice Girls’ Wannabe. And it is a fucking party. Queer anthems thump throughout the Empire and pop queens Ariana, Dua and Marina are met with thunderous cheers. Cheryl Hole, Sum Ting Wong, Crystal, Grace Shush and Margo Marshall are all in attendance. What a beautiful, happy safe space for our community. Chapman had the perfect way to hype everyone up. A Thotiana/ A Thousand Miles remix courses through the crowd.

Fade to black and a familiar “woo ah” blares through the sound system. Kim Petras takes the stage in a tutu, singing her iconic song 'Clarity'. A roaring reception follows as she raises the mic in the air. Kim lets the crowd sing to her, twirling and waving her arms like a windmill. She asks, “who’s getting fucked up tonight?” And teases with a “woo ah!” The same beat ends each song, pausing to let us catch our breath.

There’s an outfit change for 'I Don’t Want It At All'. Everything she does deserves a cheer. She twirls: cheer. She sits down: cheer. She lifts a bottle of water: cheer. She asks, “does anyone want a purse?” and chucks a tiny transparent pink bag into the audience. A scuffle ensues and the person right in front of me catches it. I tell them to cherish it always and they assure me that they will.

Flashing rainbow lights accompany a 'Click'/'Unlock It' mash-up. She gets the crowd to scream for Charli XCX, another true icon. Then comes the most iconic outfit of the night - a leotard and matching boots, with a visor over her eyes. She belts out 'There Will Be Blood', flicking a braided ponytail, swinging it around as she dives into 'Wrong Turn'.

'Death By Sex' is one of the most skilful performances of the night. She crouches down on a spinning platform, dancing and swinging her ponytail with “SEX” flashing up behind her. Vocally, she’s at her best.

Asking “Where are my spooky bitches at? I know it’s not Halloween anymore, but I don’t give a fuck”, she launches into 'Everybody Dies'. Kim’s songs have a certain euphoric sadness about them that is undeniably beautiful. That same energy continues throughout the night, with bangers like 'Heart to Break' and an acoustic cover of The Killers’ 'Human'. 'Sweet Spot' ends the storming show. The cult of Kim convenes as we repeat her trademark “woo ah!” over and over again.

She tells us “this is the last night ever of the Clarity tour” and that “it’s been a fucking dream”. Two years ago, she played The Courtyard Theatre. Now it's the O2 Empire. Next, it’ll be a tour with Camila Cabello. Kim’s career has skyrocketed, but in the most natural way. With incredible talent and a loyal fan base, she’s not only grown in success, but also as an artist.

More about: Kim Petras