Gracie Abrams review: ‘The biggest stages are where Abrams belongs’

In the three years since her first Manchester show, Abrams has become more assured and more confident as a performer, the production has become more polished, the singer supported Taylor Swift on 49 shows of The Eras Tour, she’s developed a diehard fanbase that wear their bows in droves in support of her, the venues have got bigger across the globe, and Abrams earned her first UK No. 1 single and UK No. 1 album with ‘That’s So True’ and ‘The Secret of Us’.

From the outset of the show, the 25-year-old’s diehard fanbase made its presence felt. Opening with the softly delivered ‘Felt Good About You’, Abrams was met with a sea of deafening screams that seamlessly switched to a mass singalong for the raw and acoustic-led ‘Risk’ before the singer’s breathy vocals stand out in the catchy ‘Blowing Smoke’.

As a fan of Abrams, I find the criticism she receives quite perplexing. Her success didn’t magically appear overnight. It came from years of Abrams honing her craft while overcoming anxiety and introversion to reach this stage, and her voice is considerably stronger than anyone gives her credit for. Personally, I’d say her voice sounds stronger in a live setting than it does on her studio albums, particularly on tracks such as the emotive ‘I Love You, I’m Sorry’, as Abrams voice soared on a song that featured a drum solo in the outro to give it a bit of a kick in a live setting. Whilst the same can be said for the evocative and honest ‘Where Do We Go Now’, which is layered with synths and an infectious beat.

Midway through the set, Abrams moved to the B-stage, which was a recreation of her childhood bedroom where she wrote her first tracks and performed her first shows on Zoom during the coronavirus pandemic. Prior to piano-led renditions of ‘I Miss You, I’m Sorry’ and ‘Block Me Out', Abrams took a brief break to take photos with fans, record a video message for someone, engage in conversation, and even accept gifts, underlining how warm, engaging, and likeable the 25-year-old is.

In total, Abrams performed 13 tracks from the aforementioned ‘The Secret of Us’ with the rich and emotionally charged ‘Us’ and ‘Free Now’ saw Gracie trade her acoustic guitar for an electric guitar on a track that erupted with shimmering guitars and a pounding drum line among the major highlights from the first part of the set. The uplifting ‘Tough Love’ provided an injection of pace before a one-two punch of the uptempo and acoustic-driven ‘That’s So True’ and an electric guitar-led rendition of ‘Close To You’ got the crowd bouncing to close out the night.

As well as the quality of Abrams’ performance, Dora Jar’s opening set was equally impressive. Jar displayed a fondness for scaled-back arrangements with only a bassist and accordion/acoustic guitarist accompanying her. The swashbuckling rollercoaster ‘Cannoball’ allowed Jar’s silky vocals to shine, a rendition of Oasis’ ‘Champagne Supernova’ that blended an accordion with an electric guitar sparked an early singalong, and ‘Lucky', which explores the pain of heartbreak, saw Jar take centre stage with a reverb-soaked acoustic guitar, were among the highlights of an exciting opening set.

While the 25-year-old is an exceptionally gifted pianist, guitarist and vocalist, it’s her relatability and authenticity that may be her biggest strengths and it’s without doubt that the biggest stages are where Abrams belongs.