In her final show before taking a break to have her second child, Laura Marling illuminates Manchester’s Albert Hall in an ornate display.
As an early spring sun begins to set over Deansgate, a short walk from the nearby tram stop is all it takes to arrive in the grandeur of The Albert Hall. Furnished with elegant staircases and winding corridors, the venue is the perfect setting for Marling’s only expected UK shows of 2025.
The Albert Hall’s main room is a pleasure to be in; seats are arranged like pews facing the stage, with punters resembling worshippers, eager to witness the arrival of the folk singer-songwriter. The stage is adorned with stained-glass lamps, casting a warm glow across the room. Behind, the venue’s centuries-old organ sits proudly, surrounded by vertical lights which illuminate its splendour.
As anticipation reaches a fever pitch, Marling emerges from the left of the stage to rapture from the audience. Almost having to quieten the crowd’s adoration, the singer-songwriter dons her acoustic guitar and begins with a medley of the tracks ‘Take the Night Off’, ‘I Was an Eagle’, ‘You Know’ and ‘Breathe’.
There is a truly eery feel to Marling’s voice as it trails around the open space. Her vocals are utterly enchanting, each lyric and phrase effortlessly threaded between the last as she captivates the room, which watches on in silence.
When looking around the room, it is impossible not to notice the multiple phones positioned to capture different angles of the performance. Explaining that the show will be recorded to watch whilst she is having her second child, Marling concedes: “we’re cheap so we’re doing it on iPhones”.
The singer-songwriter is utterly endearing throughout the performance, telling self-deprecating jokes and anecdotes as the crowd watches in awe. The room is silent throughout each track, the audience bound to every word Marling breathes.
This is even more present during the singer’s third track, the gorgeous ‘Nouel’, when Marling has to stop after the first few bars and remind herself how to play its complicated guitar part. Throughout, she communicates with the audience as equals, responding graciously to praise shouted at her.
Before the song ‘Child of Mine’, Marling is joined on stage by strings, a choir, and an electric bass guitar as she switches to a beautiful nylon-strung acoustic guitar. The highly anticipated string section completes the equation on stage, creating a holistic and rounded performance that is a pleasure to witness. The choir’s harmonies in the track ‘Patterns’ pierce the room’s tension, aerating the stunned crowd. Each song sounds so full, with each element on stage perfectly balanced to create a stunning sound.
In a world dominated by screens, social media and technology, not a phone is in sight, with each punter truly living in the moment. Tonight truly feels like an occasion, each person seems utterly enthralled by every word that leaves Marling’s lips and settles in the air, left to hang and permeate each individual. During the song ‘Caroline’, lights shoot into the audience as Marling effortlessly slips in and out of a beautiful falsetto. She calmly commands the room, as the sound of strings combines with guitar to create a gorgeous sonic landscape for the listener to dive into.
To delight from the audience, Marling is forced to repeat two songs to get another take for the recording. Revealing she doesn’t usually do encores, the singer repeats the tracks ‘Child of Mine’ and ‘Lullaby’. Conscious this may be her last performance for a while, the crowd watch on in delight as they are allowed a few more precious seconds with the adored singer-songwriter.
On playing the final note, the room erupts. A coordinated standing ovation is a pure demonstration of the undiluted adoration held for the songwriter, almost feeling like a well-wish for her pregnancy.
With eight albums under her belt, Laura Marling’s set at Manchester’s Albert Hall proves she remains one of the most highly renowned names in folk music. Combining gorgeous guitar, beautiful orchestration, and genius lyricism, it is no wonder she is so greatly adored.
Visit Laura Marling’s website here.
