If a pop star’s power can be measured by how many keenly-outfitted mini-me fans populate their crowd then, judging by the sea of white hair bows (a signature look) at Hammersmith Apollo last night, Madison Beer has nothing to worry about.
The second of two sold out shows at the venue, and the last UK date of her current Spinnin Tour, the 25-year-old may not be at arena level yet, but the signifiers of future ascent were all there - not least in the ear splitting screams that began when a five minute warning clock appeared, ticking down to stage time, and came in constant waves until the last moments of the show, 90 minutes later.
Via some clever video design – all satellite views above the earth and Wonderland-like vistas stretching back into the distance – the impression was of a spectacle bigger than the sum of its parts (a fairly minimal setup of raised platform, stairs and screen).
At the centre, Beer mixed up the two key modes of 21st century pop stardom, at once approachable but untouchable, with ease. One moment, she was pausing the show to cheerfully sign a fan’s T-shirt, the next, writhing on the top steps to steamy track Baby.
It’s been noted in some critical corners that the singer, originally spotted on YouTube by Justin Bieber more than a decade ago, has taken a while to hit her stride. Last year’s Silence Between Songs marked only her second album in that time and, along the way, her style has taken a little from Lana Del Rey’s swoonsome side, a little from the tougher, shinier, radio banger side, and beyond.
In a live set that took in almost the entirety of Beer’s recent second record, alongside a hefty chunk of older numbers, it made sense to present a show of three parts.
The first, including the seductive, Turtles-sampling Sixties lilt of Showed Me (How I Fell In Love With You) and 17 – during which Beer threw out flowers into the audience – landed in the sweet spot between classic pop smarts and sass.
A middle section of slower numbers hit a peak with 2021 hit Selfish (essentially, what Billie Eilish would sound like if she went maximalist) but could have done with shaving off a couple of tracks. The Padam Padam-style throb of Make You Mine, meanwhile, heralded a final chunk aimed squarely at the dancefloor.
Perhaps the night’s finest moment, meanwhile, came in the tour’s titular Spinnin – saved for the encore and delivered with a sweeping, Disney Del Rey sense of magic.
A vehicle to show Beer’s genuinely impressive vocals beneath the sing-alongs that often drowned her out entirely, it called last orders on a UK run that should set the star in good stead to level up to the truly big stages.
