E^STChannelling the aesthetic of FKA Twigs, and the sound of BANKS; Bel had the dark, sultry electro-pop sound on lock. Despite the comparisons, Bel could easily give both a run for their money, with the glitchy beats of Down To The Bone showing off her full potential. Melancholia closed out the set with a bang - it was almost a shame her talent and energy was wasted on being the first support act.
Alice Ivy introduced herself by telling us to get up and dance - because apparently sitting on the floor during support acts is a thing now? Launching into her sample-driven set, we couldn't really get a cheer in till she took it down a notch with a cover of Eurythmics' Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This). Not a sound was out of place throughout her electro soul set as she bounded around on stage. The last few songs deserved a boogie.
Young gun E^ST, barely on the cusp of adulthood, sounds miles ahead of her youth. And tonight's show was nothing short of a knockout performance that reaffirmed our age-based inadequacies. The Alley was the first of many songs to showcase that voice, and what followed was a consistently stellar display of vocal talent. E^ST dug up the courage to play a few new tracks for us, which saw her don a guitar and fly solo (you wouldn't have known she was nervous).
As much as you could praise her performance musically, her stage presence was lacking. You could see her love and enthusiasm for her art, but unfortunately she missed the mark when convincing the audience. Nonetheless, she was sweet and hospitable, and we loved singing along to (and couldn't resist having a dance too) to catchy tune Get Money! to see out the set.
