‘I’m very happy that you have beautifully listened to my songs, whether you know them or not,” reflects Ellie Goulding, taking a breather after a run of solemn tracks from her latest album, last year’s Brightest Blue. “I promise I’ll play some other ones.” The crowd, itching for a good dance, roar their approval.
It’s a strange pledge from one of Britain’s biggest pop stars of the last decade, a household name who has two Brit awards, a Grammy nomination and 19bn streams under her belt. But Goulding’s career has been bolstered by EDM smash hits, pushing her ever further from her folktronica roots. She has long stood at a crossroads many female pop stars know well: between music that is artistically fulfilling and music that will get her airplay. Her five-year break from releasing albums before Brightest Blue has dimmed her previous star power (she’s performing at notably smaller venues on her latest tour). It’s a shame, because this introspective, moody album about growing in age and confidence is her best yet.
Still, the people want the hits. After opening with subdued tracks from the new album, she pauses and looks out to the audience. “OK, let’s go, let’s go!” she yells and the band launch into the anthemic New Love, atmospheric indigo lighting suddenly giving way to neon pink. The crowd erupts, bouncing along to the beat.
The stage can barely contain Goulding, who is flanked by a simple drum set and a keyboard. Dressed in a black catsuit, she stomps, skips and sways with the enthusiasm of an aerobics instructor. During Only You, she’s down on her knees, one hand stretched up to the balcony seats, then she’s up again and strutting across the stage for I Need Your Love, punching her glittering blue mic into the air.
Two violinists stand in for Brightest Blue’s lush backing orchestra and some of the album’s textured instrumentation is lost in this downsizing. But Goulding’s voice is the star of the show here, and those idiosyncratic, warbling tones fill every square inch of the venue. Finishing with a barnstorming rendition of Burn, the set ends with happy tears from a triumphant Goulding.
• At the O2 Academy Newcastle on Saturday 9 October, then touring.
