Anne-Marie (w/ Leah Kate, DJ Evissimax) Puts on Theatrical Pop Display at Manchester’s AO Arena [Photos]

With a high-energy set of pop-punk tracks from Californian Leah Kate and a great set from DJ Evissimax beginning proceedings, the crowd was well and truly warmed up for the main attraction, one of the UK’s most loved artists, Anne-Marie.

As a writer of some of the catchiest tunes to bother the charts, a prominent judger of up-and-coming talent on The Voice and one of the UK’s best pop artists, it’s a shame to see Anne-Marie’s Unhealthy Club Tour become more of a West-End theatre performance than an all-out electrifying pop concert.

What she has that sets her apart from most of the mind-numbingly boring and dull music that can be found in the charts nowadays is a brilliant self-deprecating humour, a great personality, and an honesty that many others lack.

Starting sitting on a stool throughout the opener, “Alarm,” she was engaging and got the show off to a great start, but by the third song, she was perched atop a multi-mattresses bed in a replica of a teenager’s bedroom that was in desperate need of redecorating, and that’s where things became a little too theatrical.

It was a good show, but with the lack of a live band, it missed the energy and excitement that it potentially could have had – which could have raised the entertainment to a much greater level. The fans in attendance had assured that the shiny tatt sellers outside would have a great Christmas by buying all the pink cowboy hats and light-up tiaras, and they looked great as they came to life during the show.

With 20 songs split into 4 acts and plenty of costume changes, there was something in each act that stood out, such as the fantastic “Ciao Adios” crowd favourite “Rockabye” or encore “Psycho” – but throughout, the show suffered from peaks and troughs.

It’s fantastic to see someone like Anne-Marie succeeding and going from playing some of the smaller venues in Manchester to the biggest – but perhaps this was a case of crafting a performance specifically for big venues rather than putting on an Arena-sized show that could have been incredible.

Anne Marie (w/ Leah Kate, DJ Evissimax) @ AO Arena (Manchester, UK) on November 26th, 2023

47 photos