Playing to a 6,000 strong crowd amongst the characteristic domes, Jess Glynne showed once again why she’s fast becoming one of the most exciting British musical acts in years.
Opening with ‘Don’t Be So Hard On Yourself’ and the well-known 2015 hit ‘Rather Be’, Jess Glynne’s set never dropped in tempo, with two backing singers and a full band accompanying her amongst the ‘bubble’ domes of the world-renowned, eco-centric Eden Project in Cornwall. Featuring no less than five UK Number Ones (only Cheryl can match that in terms of a single album by a female UK artist), Glynne’s set demonstrated her genre-breaking sounds that had the entire audience, of a variety of different ages, fully engrossed throughout.
The layout of the outdoor stage in the Eden Project meant the bar and toilets were very easily accessible from the viewing area, of which is reminiscent a smaller Milton Keynes Bowl with its banking. The only slight downside with the venue involved location, however with an abundance of more-than-affordable campsites within a 2 mile radius this was only a minor flaw in an otherwise well organised venue.
It would’ve been easy to just stick to her own material from her debut album for her live set, but the London-bred singer-songwriter fearlessly performed a number of covers – including the brave ‘Tears Dry On Their Own’ by Amy Winehouse, of which Glynne more than held her own in one of many highlights of her 90 minute set. An unexpected mashup of ‘My Love’ and CeCe Peniston’s classic ‘Finally’ wowed the crowd, encapsulating the underrated quality of a performance that flows from song to song.
In a rather endearing moment mid-way through the set, Glynne introduced two fans to the stage with Lewis Nicholls emotionally getting down on one knee and proposing to the taken-aback Darren Mitchell – with the latter thankfully saying yes!
The emotional ballad ‘Take Me Home’ struck a chord with myself and many others, adding to an already unforgettable show. Her short but ever-so sweet encore featured the irrepressible debut single ‘Right Here’ and arguably her biggest hit ‘Hold My Hand’, rounding off with a resounding drum solo that left the crowd in no doubt that they had witnessed a near flawless performance.
What next for Jess Glynne? Quite simply, whatever she wants. She’s got the lot, stage presence, great band, highly successful debut record, and five singles at number one. Oh and a full UK arena tour this autumn , of which I can’t recommend enough getting tickets for. There’s universally a lot of excitement for what the future holds for the new Queen of pop.
