More about: Phoebe GreenNell Mescal

It is a truth universally acknowledged that the pre-gig playlist gives a huge insight into the night you’re in for. Before Phoebe Green and Nell Mescal take to the stage, in a double helping of sad girl indie pop, we are treated to a diverse collection of bangers from the Omeara DJ; from ‘Handshakes’ by Do Nothing, ‘In Time’ by Self Esteem and finally a mass singalong to ‘The Last Man On Earth’ by Wolf Alice; it unifies the audience as each song is recognised and strangers become friends through a mutual taste in music. Let’s not discount the venue itself though; the Omeara is a tiny space; part trendy hipster bar, part Muppet theatre, and it is absolutely perfect for the night of music ahead. 

First up, we have Nell Mescal and her band; it’s clear from the outset that Nell is an incredibly talented songwriter and performer, with catchy hooks and melodies from the get-go. The unspoken elephant in the room is that Nell happens to be the sister of BAFTA winner, Normal People star and household name Paul Mescal; often, I’d be sceptical of a musician with such a famous relative shooting through the industry at such a rapid speed, but Nell clearly deserves the praise and acclaim she’s been getting. She airs new material that sounds polished and slick, and gives an early airing to single Graduating, a tender ballad about the emotions following dropping out of school. The tenderness is lifted by Nell’s natural wit and charisma; upon introducing new song I Hate You, she looks at us and affirms “if I look directly into your eyes, whilst I sing “I hate you”, please know that I don’t, I really don’t!”. A communal jump is organised during perky guitar bop Homesick (“a song about being homesick, naturally” Nell quips), and a rather fantastic cover of New York by St Vincent gives a showcase to Nell’s sensational voice, as well as her chemistry with her band, who are all on point. The set ends on a high- it’s a wonderful set all around, and I am left eagerly anticipating round two. 

There’s a lot of buzz around tonight’s set from Phoebe Green in the crowd- after a year of high-profile support slots and festival showcases, tonight is a full on headline show. No need or expectation to win over any new fans, everybody here is very much won over. She and her band come on stage to Lucky Me, the title track of her debut album, and Phoebe immediately strikes an ethereal and otherworldly presence on stage. Her subdued and occasionally spoken style gives me the vibe of a Mancunian Billie Eilish, and it suits the mood beautifully. In between every song, her calm concentration whilst singing breaks out into a huge smile; “I really was not expecting so many of you” she says with surprise, as London have given her a hero’s welcome. Rapturous applause is given and songs are sung lyric for lyric back to her, which it is clear that she is appreciating so much. The songs have an incredibly personal subject matter, and to see such a connection between everybody in the room is moving, not just from Phoebe to the audience, but in between every single audience member; we have been connected by this music, and it is glorious. 

If the subjects of the songs are heavy, Phoebe tackles them with humour and charm. “This song’s about habitual self-sabotage” she says before playing Sweat, with a knowing glare to the audience that the song describes something we all know far too well. Phoebe has come a long way since 2019; once a guitar-led singer/songwriter, she has since laid the axe to rest to become an all-encompassing figurehead of the stage. However, the guitar makes a return for Clean, as Phoebe admits “I tried to do the whole ditching the guitar thing because I thought I was better than everybody, but I’m really not!”. The self-deprecation and honesty is endearing, and makes us connect to her even more. Speaking of 2019, her single Easy Peeler makes a welcome return tonight, a track which Phoebe describes as her “sounding like a knockoff Alex Turner”; the comparison is apt, as the track is lyrically sharp and has an Arctic Monkeys Humbug era aesthetic, but it is bolstered by harsh fairground synths and distorted guitars in a way that makes it truly Phoebes. 

Towards the end of the set, the unifying moments come in thick and fast. Just A Game provokes a mass singalong, Crying In The Club has everybody bopping, and the highlight of the set comes in the form of Reinvent, which sees Phoebe invite Nell back onto the stage for a duet that dreams were made of. You see, she went to see MUNA the night before (“my absolute favourite band”), and was inspired to mashup her 2020 single Reinvent with their queer love anthem Silk Chiffon. She takes the time to shout out her LGBTQ+ fans on stage, and it strikes a moment of poignancy, particularly after recent events, to see an artist so dedicated to providing a safe space for us. When Nell walks on stage (“we’re going to have a full on fist-fight, that’s why I’m here!” she jokes), they connect as performers superfluously. They are, as the kids would say, friendship goals, and the love transmits itself all the way from the band to the crowd.

Towards the end, Phoebe reaffirms “tonight was beyond my wildest dreams, thank you so much”, and finishes on single (and Killing Eve soundtrack highlight) idk, which provokes everybody in the venue to have one final boogie. It’s been a fantastic night, and we all leave the room with whatever worries we had before entering the room lifted off our shoulders. Tonight’s show from Phoebe Green in this tiny venue feels like London’s best kept secret, one that we will immediately tell all our friends and family about. 

See the view from the pit, captured by Rosie Carne:

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More about: Phoebe GreenNell Mescal