LIVE REVIEW: Jess Glynne @ The Olympia

Jess Glynne is making serious waves in the music industry at the moment, not least of which are the carrot-coloured curls which bounce around her beaming face. And why wouldn’t the singer be beaming? The 26-year-old Brit has five UK number one singles under her belt- a feat only achieved by one female solo artist before her- as well as a chart-topping debut album.

Glynne’s distinctive vocals and winning collaborations have been lighting up radios and eliciting screams of “OMG, this is my song!” from girls in nightclubs ever since her break-out tune, ‘Rather Be’, with electronic group Clean Bandit went mainstream in 2014. Last night, at her sold-out gig in The Olympia, it was plain to see that Gynne has gained quite an army of fans in the last two years.

The starlet kicked off the show with her song ‘You Can Find Me’ to screams of delight from the young crowd. Jess’s jetblack outfit and loose flowing hair ensured our attention was focused on her formidable pipes as most of her songs were a display of stripped back vocals which were more captivating than any loud costume.

Short and snappy songs packed the pop-infused punch with out pre-amble; it’s quite a testament to Gynne that every other song was a smash hit. ‘Real Love’ and ‘Not Letting Go’ showed us her pop-star essence, while her acoustic performance of ‘My Love’ was injected with such raw emotion and vulnerability we felt like we were seeing a more authentic side to the powerhouse.

Jess’s singing voice was nothing short of breath-taking; her conversational tone, on the other hand, was more underwhelming. Her efforts to interact with the crowd were comically awkward but that’s not to say they didn’t eat it up. Mega-stars like Jennifer Lawrence and Taylor Swift have succeeded in making social awkwardness seem cool with their self-depreciating wit, so it was easy to view Glynne’s hesitant back-and-forth as endearing rather than lacking.

‘Don’t Be So Hard on Yourself’ was the highlight of the evening; Jess’s bad gal ‘tude and sassy dance moves revealed some real soul in the singer; and the playful camaraderie between her and her back-up singers formed a girl-gang so cool we all wanted an invite.

Arresting vocals, a hit-laden show and an adoring crowd- tick, tick, tick. Jess Glynne, the featured artist? No- Jess Glynne, the popstar.

Check out our photos from last night here.