Chlöe Howl is the girl of the moment. Nominated for the prestigious BRITs Critics’ Choice award, in the BBC Sound of 2014 longlist and about to embark on Ellie Goulding’s arena tour as support, she’s doing well for somebody who only played their first gig last April.
After a few awkward support acts, Chlöe strutted on stage and instantly captivated everybody in the legendary venue that is The Joiners. Opening with ‘Bad Dream’ the show just went from strength to strength. Her new live band gelled well, and performed her up beat, feisty pop in an energetic manner that won over the audience.
Chlöe really is a show woman. Sashaying around the stage, engaging in amusing banter with the slightly more intoxicated members of the crowd and seamlessly belting out sassy pop songs, you can see why she’s been tipped in whole host of hot for 2014 lists. She’s got it all, the charisma, talent and flair, and she doesn’t look to be going out of style any time soon.
Tracks like ‘Drop In The Ocean’ and ‘Girls and Boys’ were up-beat, fun pop gems, which got the crowd going and singing along by the second chorus even if they’d never heard the song before. It was nice to hear a slightly more stripped down song, with ‘It Takes Me A Long Time’, and allowed Chlöe to show off her impressive vocals. Singles ‘Paper Heart’ and ‘No Strings’ were eagerly received by the crowd, and work just as well live as recorded. ‘No Strings’ was particularly impressive, with the addition of a live band giving an extra kick to the straight talking, unashamedly honest lyrics.
Finishing her short set with current single ‘Rumour’, Howl went out with a bang. The teenage pop star managed to sustain her high energy level of performance throughout her entire set, and ‘Rumour’, with its candid, humorous lyrics (which are based on real life rumours Howl has encountered), was no exception. I had had high hopes for the hyped starlet, and I wasn’t disappointed. Howl is truly one to be watched.
