ON the second stop of her four-date UK tour, singer and YouTuber Emma Blackery played a sold out show at Sound Control, Manchester on Monday night, and what a night it was.
Opening the show was support artist Walwin, who is also Blackery’s guitarist and helped make her latest EP, Sucks To Be You, happen. With only a half hour set, Walwin managed to fit a fair amount in, playing around six songs with added jokes in the middle.
If you imagine a mix of dance music and Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump’s vocals, that is what you can expect from Walwin. Upbeat songs that got the crowd jumping combined with a smooth voice really impressed and set the tone for the rest of the set.
The song that was particularly great was his cover of Chainsmoker’s Closer; he gave it a slower twist at the start, showing just how much talent he has, before letting the crowd take over. The brilliant buzz of the audience could be felt around the venue and as Walwin’s set came to a close, everyone was pumped for the main act.
With a half hour break in between sets, bassist Matt Milton and drummer Tony Yates amused the crowd with Mexican waves and got everyone chanting for Emma to come on stage.
Excitement was building the closer the time got to 9pm, and with a couple of flashes from a torch to signal they were ready, the band blasted on stage with Sucks To Be You.
The quality of Blackery’s live vocals is indisputable and perhaps sound a little better than her recent recordings. There is so much charisma and emotion in her voice, which isn’t always the case when vocals are live, and just goes to show how incredible an artist she really is.
Her band are just as talented, seamlessly giving new dimensions to the songs and interacting with the crowd to make the atmosphere even better.
Up next came old favourite and pop punk love song Go The Distance, followed by a mix of newer songs and unreleased tracks from Blackery’s YouTube channel, including the ever-popular Perfect and more recent Instead, before which she joked about falling off a stall whilst recording the video for her channel.
https://twitter.com/emmablackery/status/790673542413180928
The song that stood out the most during the whole set was The Promise, a song focusing on battling self-worth and body image which has become a staple song for many young people.
This is where the audience used their phones as torches, waving them in time with the song and making Blackery herself a little emotional. The meaning of the song could be felt across the whole room and it could be seen how much it meant to so many of the people there.
Bouncier songs followed The Promise, including Lies and Let Me Be, and the encore saw two slower songs, Don’t Come Home and Fear My Future, which ended the set on a high.
Overall, the set was spectacular from start to finish. From starting out with home recording equipment a few years ago to playing sold out shows following supporting Busted on their last tour, she really has developed as an artist and you can expect many great things from her in future.
By Kirsty Poynton
@kirstyjpoynton
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