Packed into Digbeth’s O2 Institute, Nina Nesbitt captivated a small but dedicated fanbase with a set that paid homage to old fan favourites and new releases alike. The evening began with intimate performances from the supporting acts, LonelyTwin and Katelyn Tarver, which were well received by the quiet but engaged crowd. The energy soon picked up during the pre-set playlist, which was filled with artists ranging from Destiny’s Child to Fred again..

Once the stage had been prepared, notably with Nina’s personally garlanded flower mic-stand, the lights dimmed. The album intro track ‘Gaol’, which was created with submissions of fans saying ‘I love you’ in their respective languages, began to play and set the tone for the evening – laid back, emotive and personal. Segueing into the second album track, ‘Teenage Chemistry’, Nina appeared onstage to open the show. However, as an opening performance, it was somewhat lacking. Her upper register was consistently flat and tired, as if she was nervous or vocally strained due to the tour. Nevertheless, the audience were delighted, eagerly applauding and singing along.

After playing a few of her newer songs, Nina returned to her previous album, proving that her extraordinary range was very much still intact. She seemed increasingly at ease when singing older tracks. With her understated stage presence and Scottish lilt, Nesbitt charmed the crowd, asking them to participate in a call and response during one of her latest singles, ‘No Time For My Life To Suck’. Where I found some of these newer releases to be lacking lyrically, I was reminded that much of this can be forgiven during such a charismatic live performance. Floating across the stage, she moved from guitar to drum pad seamlessly, playing a solo that perhaps didn’t add much musically but certainly invited the audience to engage at the song’s climax.

From this energetic opening, Nina continued to the acoustic section of the set which further showcased her instrumental and vocal talent. During these numbers, she recalled various anecdotes, such as the release of ‘Last December’ on her previous album due to pressure from her fans. Playing a snippet on the keyboard, she then demonstrated how her latest ballad ‘Colours of You’ was a sequel to this number, referring to her current partner whom she has celebrated seven ‘Decembers’ with. Picking a specific couple out of the crowd to dedicate this number to, the moment felt special and showed Nina’s ability to individualise each and every performance.

Finally, she turned up the energy to perform hit after hit, packing in extra songs by cutting down verses. Two of my favourite numbers were ‘Loyal To Me’, which was broken down with audience dialogue and jazzy instrumentation, and the TLC/Destiny’s Child inspired ‘Love Letter’ which had additional modulations to built the climax higher and higher. Heavily hinting towards the upcoming encore section, Nina played one last track before swanning offstage. Making the audience work for her return, she eventually returned with a rum and coke in hand to play the final few songs. The album’s titular song ‘Alskar’ was introduced with a heart-warming speech of thanks, endearing the audience with her humble nature, and singing with a dreamy, ethereal tone. Finally, after nearly 90 minutes of singing and storytelling, she concluded with the bittersweet ‘Best You Had’ .

Whilst I was initially underwhelmed and unsure if this would be the performance I had hoped for, Nina was able to make each person in the room feel spoken to and I left feeling like I’d partaken in something special.

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