Live Report: Nell Mescal stuns with unreleased bangers at The Academy 2

Nell Mescal is wearing a delicate blue cardigan over a black dress, boots, and minimal make-up. Her appearance is just as relatable as her heart-wrenching lyrics.

"I'm too young to feel this old, you're too young to be so cruel, and you're so cruel to me, then you say I'm overreacting," the 19-year-old beautifully captures the feeling of betrayal on her unreleased track 'Cruel'. Two songs into the set of her sold-out headline show at Dublin's The Academy 2 last night, she is already going strong.

Mescal took to the stage around 9pm with her hit 'Missing You', which has garnered over half a million Spotify streams since its release in 2020. Originally featured as the music in the iconic Brown Thomas Christmas window display during the festive season, 'Missing You' comprises piano-rich melodies and powerful vocals. Nell belted out the chorus, skillfully accompanying herself on the piano, while her three band mates jammed along on the guitar, bass and drums.

"We’re not the same as we used to be, and I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel," the singer-songwriter admits, concluding, "So I put you out of sight, and out of mind, so I can get to sleep."

Nell Mescal at The Academy 2, October 2022. Copyright Abigail Ring_ hotpress.com

She smiled at the crowd, thanking us for coming. "This feels like I’ve woken up in a really strange dream," Mescal said half-jokingly, adding that she is delighted to see her mum and granny next to the many teenage fans. The atmosphere is casual and throughout the evening, Nell can be seen chatting to fans, holding the mic to their faces to let them sing along, and even taking a couple of BeReals. "For my mum who doesn’t know what a BeReal is, it's just a photo," she laughed.

Family is very important to Nell Mescal, who is the sister of Normal People star Paul Mescal. The pair has previously collaborated on her Instagram page on an emotive cover of the Villagers 2013 track 'Nothing Arrived'. The singer was also invited on stage by indie rock artist Phoebe Bridgers in London earlier this year to sing on her 2017 hit 'Georgia'.

After leaving school in November of 2021 to pursue music, and moving to London full-time, Mescal felt homesick, she told us, and used her songwriting as a form of communicating her feelings. Aptly titled 'Homesick', the upbeat and rocky song she played towards the end of the set is one of her unreleased bangers. "I'm a little bit homesick, I haven't made any friends yet but i don’t think I'll come back, you say there's no shame in that," she sings with a passion that can be felt throughout her entire performance. These are her memories, her songs, her feelings, and the crowd absorbs them eagerly.

Nell Mescal at The Academy 2, October 2022. Copyright Abigail Ring_ hotpress.com

Another one of the singer's unreleased songs 'Growing Pains', gives even more insight into her experience of living abroad. The stunning ballad repeats the words "It's not as bad as it seems," reassuring her mum that she was okay even though she wasn't at the time. Mescal's lyrics are undoubtedly bittersweet and frequently deal with all-consuming heartache and daunting life decisions. However, she is also impressingly reflective and mature, not only for her age.

Nell Mescal's set was short but sweet, spanning seven unreleased originals, two released tunes and a thoroughly enjoyable cover of Katy Perry's 'Teenage Dream'. The low stage and velvety red backdrop of The Academy 2, which is tucked away in the venue's basement, only added to the relaxed atmosphere. Notably, the cosy venue has hosted a handful of successful acts early on in their career, including Mumford & Sons, Frank Turner and Bastille.

Nell Mescal at The Academy 2, October 2022. Copyright Abigail Ring_ hotpress.com

The moment that we had all been waiting for followed heartfelt originals such as 'Lie To Me', 'Don't Allow It' and 'Hate You'. And it was worth the wait. Nell Mescal's powerful debut single 'Graduating', which was released in July 2022, is a raw, vocally breathtaking coming of age track, which deals with the difficulties of relationships and friendships when the significant era of secondary school years comes to a close. "I wrote it in my pyjamas on my bed because I’m quirky and I wanna be Billie Eilish," the singer-songwriter told us, as her single was welcomed by deafening cheers from the crowd.

After what was certainly a standout moment of the night, Nell Mescal closed her magnetic performance with 'Yellow Dresser', another autobiographical track about a mysterious three-page letter that was left on a yellow dresser. It was a gentle, perfectly chosen last track and a final reminder that Mescal's songwriting is touching and relatable in the best way possible.

Nell Mescal is set to continue her tour across Ireland this week with upcoming performances in Limerick and Belfast and support from emerging pop singer Fya Fox.

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