After an extremely eventful year, Nieve Ella has already started making waves in the indie-pop community. Following 12 months of consistent touring (opening for Dylan in February 2023 and the Courteeners at Lytham Festival), and releasing her second stand-out EP Lifetime of Wanting, the singer has ventured into new territory: a headline tour of her own.
Testing the waters with only nine dates, she has found herself with an almost fully sold-out tour, updating venues to accommodate the excess demand. Having first witnessed her as an opening act for Inhaler, I was desperate to see how – or if – she’d managed to come into her own. I can confidently say that she has.
Queuing outside the venue Gorilla in typical Manchester drizzle, the excitement and dedication of fans was clear: they had adorned themselves in ribbons, bows, and denim jackets – all Nieve Ella staples. Despite being a fairly recent addition to the music industry, having only discovered her talents in lockdown, Ella has earned herself a devoted fan base willing to inscribe her name on the posters outside of the venue (and jet in from Sweden).
The night officially began with a strong opening from Stevie Bill who regaled life in Amsterdam, the inspiration that she’d found in her travels, and the benefits of broccoli. Following her melodic set and a certified crowd-pleasing cover of Tears for Fears’ ‘Everybody Wants To Rule The World’, a stripped-back instrumental version of Nieve Ella’s ‘Lifetime of Wanting’ transformed the already enthusiastic fans into a crowd-possessed. Voices were pushed to their breaking points, flowers were thrown onstage and cups of water were immediately launched across the mass of people (for good reason).
As the acoustics faded out, the bass and guitar erupted and she started her set with ‘Big House’, the first song on her latest EP, before continuing with ‘Fall 4 U’ and ‘19 in a Week’ from her debut EP Young and Naive. As her EP titles suggest, Nieve Ella has created a discography around the anxieties of ageing in a modern world and the naivety found in new relationships, as well as the beauty and necessity of friendship.
Her music speaks to a lost generation, to those who are ‘‘feeling like [they’re] grown, but [are] still in the backseat,’’ (‘19 in a week’). This was made clear through her dedication at the beginning of the show, as she directly addressed ‘‘anyone who feels the dread of being an adult.’’ Throughout her set, she called out to visitors in the audience, thanking her ‘‘new internet friends’’ and those she hadn’t seen since primary school – an act indicative of her appreciation as well as her enticing talent.
She broke off from her discography to bless the crowd with an unreleased track, a powerful song that contained gentle vocals and an incredible drum line, and cited her best friend as its writer and her inspiration. Its emotional depth contrasted greatly with the following indie-rock songs ‘Car Park’ and ‘His Sofa’ and made clear what it is about Nieve Ella that is so great. Her versatility is so enticing and it is clear that whatever musical path she chooses to go down, she will make her own.
As she told Dork Magazine, her main aim was for ‘‘people [to] come to a show, have fun, forget about everything else and feel so content in [the] moment’,’ and this was achieved in excess. The love of her audience was clear as every movement of hers was taken in by the admiring crowd who danced and sang as one unit throughout the night. This adoration was reciprocated as Nieve Ella declared her and her band’s night in Manchester as ‘‘the best show [they’d] done’’ before taking an on-stage selfie with her fans.
Through her live shows, Nieve Ella has cemented herself as a serious contender in the indie circle; a performer with soul as well as power who has clearly learned a lot from her time on the road last year. She ended the night with her first single ‘Girlfriend’, a fitting full-circle moment that proved how far she’s come, from learning the guitar in her room to singing to over 500 at a sold-out show. Her respect and gratitude for past opportunities were clear as she highlighted her gigs with Inhaler as some of her favourites yet. Whilst that is where I came to know her, it is through her passion and strength as a singer that I have come to love her.
I cannot wait for the day when I get to boast about seeing her when she was small at Gorilla. Nieve Ella is a future indie darling and a definite one to watch. To miss out on her now would be to miss out on greatness.
