Live Report: Olivia Dean shows Marlay Park her art of loving

“Maybe this is going to be the best night of my life,” says Olivia Dean midway through her first of two gigs this weekend. It was, after all, not only the end of the European leg of her The Art of Loving tour, but also the biggest show the London-born artist has played so far.

Dean has had one of the most astonishing years in music in recent memory. Her 2025 album The Art of Loving catapulted her to a new level of popularity, followed by chart success across multiple countries, a Grammy Award and a run of sold-out headline shows. She feels like the moment right now, and rightly so.

Whether the night was the best of her life will probably never be known, but for some in the crowd at Marlay Park, it certainly seemed as though they would agree. Dean delivered a soul- and jazz-inflected set that created an easygoing vibe. “I’ll give you everything I have,” she continues. And she did.

 

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The show is a heartfelt journey through Dean’s evolving definitions of love. Love for the self in ‘So Easy (To Fall in Love)’, love for friends in ‘I’ve Seen It’, and love for those who came before in ‘Carmen’.

What immediately stood out was the joy she carries with her. Running onto the stage in front of a giant pink-to-white gradient floral backdrop, she opens with the breezy neo-soul track ‘Nice to Each Other’. This sets the tone perfectly, as Dean dances across the stage in a yellow dress with an effortless lightness.

Soon after, another standout from her latest record has he crowd moving again. ‘So Easy (To Fall in Love)’, much like the opener, does exactly what it’s supposed to do: Inviting movement from the crowd.

Dean performs with the ease of someone far beyond her years, playfully engaging with the audience at just the right moments. You get the impression, that her smile is one that lights up every room she is in.

A stripped-back acoustic section, featuring two guitarists, brings a calmer atmosphere. ‘UFO’ transports the crowd onto another planet, somewhere more introspective, where her voice and intricate phrasing take centre stage.

 

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Later in the set, as the mood loosens further, ‘Baby Steps’ and ‘Carmen’ double down again on the emotional register. The latter, a song about her grandmother’s migration from Guyana to the UK, lands with particular weight. “I don’t understand how we’re so scared of each other,” she says. And the message stands clearly. By the end, she looks visibly moved, almost on the edge of tears.

‘Man I Need’ closes the main set in near-perfect fashion. By this point, Dean has had her third outfit change. A disco ball lowers over the stage, turning the space into an 70s lounge. It feels like a natural ending, until it isn’t.

Eight Irish dancers in purple, ballet-inspired costumes run onto the stage, followed by confetti and fireworks. It’s unexpected and over-the-top, a fitting finale to a night that never stopped outdoing itself.