Lissie at Northumbria University, Newcastle

Following a fun, vibrant performance from the Pierces, Lissie came on stage to a packed venue. She warmly greeted everyone before whole heartedly erupting into her first song of the night. She has an undeniable vocal ability, with every note perfectly executed as she roared out over the strong beats and catchy riffs.

The band behind her act as strong foundations to her success and are all technically brilliant. The guitarist, Eric Soullivin, draws in the crowd with his mid-song solos and finishes them off with a build up that explodes into a Hendrix-style performance, applauded by everyone including Lissie, the sheer appreciation and awe towards him is visible in her smile. There is a good relationship within the band and this is evident in the way they perform together. The crowd show their appreciation by singing word for word, dancing enthusiastically and even buying her a shot of her favourite drink, tequila.

For the last song Lissie brings the Pierces, two sisters from Alabama, back onto the stage to sing harmonious backing vocals to Lissie’s powerful notes and rough tones. The encore from the crowd started with hoedown-like foot stomping, reminiscent to that of Lissie when she keeps time, followed by a chorus of ‘Lissie’ chants.

Their final song for the encore was a choice between two covers, Bad Romance (Lady Gaga) and Pursuit of Happiness (Kid Cudi), the crowd chose Pursuit of Happiness almost unanimously. It kicked in with the unmistakable guitar riff and Lissie, again, put everything she had into the cover, it was a spectacular finale. They’re arguably the best live act I have ever seen.

Review by Liz McDade