Gracie Abrams flexes her true pop chaos at London's O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire

Words: Abigail Firth.

'Good Riddance', the quietly confessional debut album from Gracie Abrams, is not so quiet tonight. When played live and amplified by thousands of fans at O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire, it takes on a whole new life.

It's immediately obvious that the fans here tonight have been waiting to scream these lyrics since the album dropped, with the crowd hitting remarkable decibels the moment Gracie steps out to 'Where do we go now?'. This kind of devotion isn't new - in the past year, we've seen similar enthusiasm at Olivia Rodgrio and Phoebe Bridgers shows, to name a couple - but it's impressive every time.

Prior to the show starting, the queue snakes around the venue, almost every punter donning a ribbon in the back of their hair a la Abrams. These unspoken traditions of everyone coming in-theme are also not new, but it's just one of the little things that adds to the sense of community felt across the room when the music starts.

Barely stopping between tracks, she runs through 'This is what the drugs are for', '21', 'Block Me Out' and 'I should hate you', some quieter than others but every time backed by a chorus of fan vocals, before stopping to introduce herself. "My favourite thing is being in the same room as you all", says Gracie before playing older track 'Friend', "this is blowing my mind, and I can't express my gratitude and love for you".

Since dropping her debut single 'Mean It' in 2019, Gracie's increasingly introspective sad girl pop has gained her legions of fans, the deeply connected kind who feel every single lyric and for whom hearing them live is a huge emotional release. Gracie seems to feel that too, as she's floored by their reaction and repays them by playing the much requested unreleased track 'In Between' live for the first time.

A minimal production, she's backed only by a few bulbs on stage and occasionally a spotlight, and crams a full band plus two keyboards for herself onto the small stage, all adding to the intimate feel this album deserves. Although as she moves across instruments through the show - the keyboard at the front for tender ballad 'Amelie', the one at the back for 'Best', the guitar for 'Camden' - it's when she frees herself and wanders around the stage for boppier tracks like 'Difficult' and 'Feels Like' that she flexes her true pop chops and proves she wouldn't be lost on a bigger stage.

While most would close a show with a big hitter, Gracie instead opts for album closer 'Right Now', the moment on the record where she comes back into her body and finds herself again after exorcising a whole host of emotions. With no encore, it's the perfect ending, the release for both Gracie and her fans over for another night.