Mae Muller at Club Academy

Last weekend saw London-based pop singer Mae Muller arrive in Manchester for her sold-out Club Academy show. Providing a chaotic, fun and feel-good set, it was the perfect Saturday night for Muller and her legion of dedicated fans.   

Declaring Manchester her second favourite place (after London of course), Muller was certainly glad to be here. She commanded a powerful stage presence throughout, with impressive vocals to match. The set began as it meant to go on, Muller declaring after opening with ‘nails so long’ that only in Manchester would she “be dashed someone’s phone on stage and thrown a Muller corner yoghurt”.

The audience continued to match Muller’s energy in a way that only teenage girls can. Every song that Muller launched into was responded to with a scream and the whole crowd seemed to have every lyric memorised. This was appreciated by Muller, particularly with her track ‘Dick’, who was truly delighted when everyone shouted along with her.

Some of her most dedicated fanbase had queued for 10 hours to secure a coveted space at the front barrier. Given the small capacity of Club Academy I’m not sure this was entirely necessary, but Muller could be seen waving to familiar faces. There was very much a feeling of love and loyalty in the room, which reached a touching moment mid-show as Muller launched into a slower track, ‘Maybe’. A coordinated effort saw fans display matching signs stating “This is Home”, which promptly reduced Muller to tears.   

Wiping her eyes and swiftly describing herself as “back on her bullshit”, Muller continued to move through her carefully curated setlist of fun, lively, pop anthems. There was a brief intermission for a Harry Styles’ cover which didn’t quite hit the mark, but the rest of the set was energetic, upbeat and carried by Muller’s charisma and voice. Finishing appropriately with ‘Better Days’, there was no need for an encore as Muller, her band and the audience danced their way out together to continue their Saturday night.

I can guarantee that it won’t be long until Muller is selling out much bigger venues, with even bigger audiences screaming “Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick”.

You can listen to Mae Muller on Spotify here.