One live music hill that I’d be proud to die on is that more acts should play gigs in forgotten corners of the country instead of just the same handful of big cities. Creative minds don’t just make music in London and Manchester, nor are they the only places where music lovers reside. Music lovers and makers can be found in every town across the country, so why should live music be any different. That philosophy is just one of the myriad of reasons why I was excited to see that Belwood favourite Holly Humberstone was playing Lincoln as part of her latest UK tour. Not that the show would have been all that surprising to anyone that’s been following her career. Holly’s always been proud of her home and family in Lincolnshire, never forgetting where she came from and the people that have been by her side. In fact one of the greatest strengths of her delightful debut album was how it felt so earnestly true to herself. Freshly armed with an album full of heartfelt homegrown alt pop, her gig at The Engine Shed seemed like a triumphant, home-turf victory lap in the making.

It also seemed like the perfect excuse for a long overdue visit to The Engine Shed. Though it’s been some years since my last gig there, I always site it as one of my favourite venues. Certainly the gold standard for student union spaces. It strikes a great balance between being slick, clean and modern, while still preserving the unique character and history of the building. I would soon learn I wasn’t the only person appreciating the local architecture. Opening act Medium Build took to the stage in an endearingly eccentric get-up that included pink sunglasses, dangly earrings and a green scrub-like jumpsuit, interspersing his set with anecdotes about visiting the nearby cathedral and his American perspective on quirky British-isms. The disarming way he worked the crowd between songs quickly began winning me over. Admittedly at first I wasn’t sold at first on his arrangements, I think the addition of a proper drummer instead of a simple electronic backing track would make a world of difference to his sound, but looking past that I enjoyed the dreamy soundscapes and the cathartic bursts of emotion in his vocals. 

When the lights dimmed for the main event, I enjoyed how the backing band entered one by one to gradually build up the intro of ‘Paint My Bedroom Black’ one piece at a time. Each lined up before the inventive steel cable cobweb backdrop, letting the hype build up in the room, before Holly herself took to the stage with her name in bright lights emblazoned behind her. While often a gig is elevated by having stunning visuals, inventive gimmicks and a few surprises tucked away, sometimes all that’s needed to make a show great is the right songs. This night fell firmly in the latter category. Between playing the bulk of her superb debut, the old fan favourites that made her name, as well as her latest single ‘Dive’, Holly already has the kind of live repertoire most acts a few albums deep would envy. From the stripped back piano balladry of ‘London is Lonely’, to the pulsing dance beat of ‘Flatlining’, to the spirited indie rocker ‘Cocoon’, which saw Medium Build return to duet and up the energy levels even further, it was a setlist that captured the full spectrum of her artistry. However it was the irresistible earworm that is ‘The Walls Are Way Too Thin’, and the slow-burning dream pop of ‘Kissing In Swimming Pools’, that proved to be the night’s highlights for me. 

Truth be told though, I would have expected more energy from the crowd. With it being a big homecoming show I thought more people would have been singing along to ‘Scarlett’ at the top of their lungs at the end of the night. But perhaps I was just in a particularly quiet corner of the room, as Holly certainly seemed moved by the occasion. A full circle moment, having apparently played her first gig in a pub a stone’s throw away. With her mum in the crowd on mother’s day no less! It just helped hammer home the down to Earth nature that has set her apart in my mind. For however slick and polished her set was, there was so much heart beneath it all. A lot of pop music can sometimes come across as cold and impersonal, another piece of content lacking a human touch to connect with. Being there to see one of the best new pop acts in the country honour her roots couldn’t have felt further from that. This was pop music at its best, with Holly setting an example for the kind of grounded artist we need more of in the industry.