It is always strange to make eye contact with an artist; it is a uniquely intimate feeling to make such close contact with someone normally separated from you by streaming platforms and earphones. But only two feet away from Lily Moore, you can clearly see her eyes glisten as she powers through the mid of her hour-long set.

By the second song, ‘All Day’, the tiny room is teeming with an energy rarely provided by a singer/songwriter. The size of the venue does not always affect the quality of the concert, but it does here. The Hyde Park Book Club’s tiny capacity gives a warm feeling as Moore speaks to the crowd like close friends between each delivery. It feels almost like a private performance for mates, rather than for paying punters.

She admits it is her first headline show in Leeds, and it is not obvious as she channels a Winehouse-esque spirit into each song, exuding confidence in a contradictory fashion to the vulnerable and exposed nature of her music. “This one’s about, uh, well whatever you want really,” she laughs, before going into the title track of her recent EP, I Will Never Be. Her rendition is incredible. The belted lyrics seem to unite and resonate with the entire audience. Cheekier lyrics like “think of when you come” are performed as elegantly as the most gut-wrenching: “Anything to make you smile / you just leave me in the aisle”.

The ‘sad song with a smirk’ style of Moore’s live performance gives a unique dimension to her currently limited discography. Seeing the power behind the ballad makes for an emotional experience.

Tom Poole

Header Image by Pheobe Fox