Maisie Peters used to daydream about a then-distant music career when travelling by train from Brighton to London. “I’d be crossing the Thames thinking, ‘Wow, I hope the songs I write will help me play here,” she told fans at the Hammersmith Apollo last night.
The gig, which sold out in less than an hour, marked the 22-year-old’s biggest headline show to date. That’s arguably no mean feat for a singer-songwriter with two EPs, a handful of singles, and one album to her name (her 2021 debut, You Signed Up for This, reached number two in the UK albums chart). But Peters was ready for it. Over the last year, the West Sussex artist has grown accustomed to performing to huge crowds. Ed Sheeran, who signed Peters to his Gingerbread Records imprint, invited her to support him on his 2022 stadium tour, as well as recent dates in the US and beyond.
Last night it seemed like every person in attendance – predominantly teenage girls and young women – knew each lyric, beat, and quirk of Peters’ often melodramatic pop songs. Fans sang the words back and punched the air with as much panache as their sprightly hero before them. Peters’ energy never waned; physically, she deployed rock star moves; kicks, back-bends and struts. For her viral hit Psycho, Peters air-drummed as fans jumped up and down to the song’s tale of a dodgy ex “playing a perfect Patrick Bateman”.
That energy was sustained even when Peters dialled things down. “These are some of my most traumatising songs put together,” she announced, reuniting herself with her acoustic guitar for a medley of songs including Glowing Review, Volcano and Favourite Ex.
Debut album singles Brooklyn and You Signed Up for This best showcased Peters’ gossamer, fine-tuned vocals, which were sometimes drowned out by the fans’ wild enthusiasm. Villain, a pointed pop tune about heartbreak, marked another impassioned performance from Peters and her band as they played in front of gaudy drapes and brightly coloured strip lighting. By the end, Peters appeared overwhelmed by the sense of occasion. Mouth agape, she clasped her hands behind her head as the lights dimmed.
Despite a polished performance throughout – flitting between a kind of revivalist Avril Lavigne pop-punker, emotional acoustic balladeer, and peppy pop star – the show sometimes felt a little too rehearsed. Fans are likely to disagree. Peters rattled through the best of her catalogue with confidence, closing with indie pop brooder Lost the Breakup and the head-banging Blonde. “La-la-la-la-la, I’ll f*** your life up as a blonde,” Peters sang, baying the crowd, their arms all waving to the beat. Her dreams came true after all.
