Irish indie singer-songwriter Nell Mescal took to Islington Assembly Hall in London last night, bringing her latest EP, The Closest We’ll Get, to life
With fairy lights and flowers adorning the stage, Mescal began her headlining show with “Electric Picnic,” the front row singing along gently as she strummed her guitar. After introducing herself and her band, she sang “Carried Away” from her emotionally honest new EP, released last month. Despite its new release, her fans knew every single word, singing them back to her.
Picking up the pace, the audience danced along to “In My Head” before Mescal’s band disappeared offstage and she stood alone with her guitar under the spotlight. She explained the backstory to her song “Thin,” describing how she’d found her community four years ago after releasing the song (despite being terrified to release it!). Her emotional speech was punctuated by her admission that she felt her physical appearance was defined by the opinions of others, and how her perception of herself was tainted by that. Murmurs of agreement could be heard from the crowd as she empowered them not to be defined by everyone else’s opinions. Her band returned to layer beautiful harmonies behind her soft vocals, leaving the room silent and entranced.
Before ending the intimate evening with her biggest hit, “Homesick, ” Mescal shared how happy she was that everyone was there in the room and how she couldn’t wait to come back and do another show.
Mescal’s headlining tour continues through December 4 where she will close the tour at Cyprus Avenue in Cork, Ireland. For tickets, visit nellmescal.com
