Review: Soul sensation Olivia Dean sparkles with shimmering yet heartbreaking set

Dressed in a sunshine yellow dress, Olivia brightly drove home a glowingly energetic performance on a sold-out night at the Leeds Stylus.

The glamorous indie soul starlet delivered a show for the ages, accompanied by her seven-piece band and swaying through her set of songs with suave and shine.

An early start was in order, as she came onstage at eight on the dot.

From the moment she took the stage, Dean enthralled the northern crowd with her powerful vocals and her genuione stage presence, anchored by her charming personality.

The evening kicked off with the otherworldly sounding anthem UFO.

The track, which is ironically a very down to earth piece about the alienating feeling of love. is a sensitive and powerfully beautiful ballad that began the evening of heartbreaks and soulful melodies.

Following that were Ok Love You Bye and Echo; elegance and class are two qualities that best characterised her performance for these two songs, as well as her whole set, as she playfully flicked her arms as she summoned her seven-piece band into action.

Joyful and charismatic, Dean took the time to dive into the significance behind each song, even responding to fans who tried to anticipate which song was next based on her explanations and light-heartedly telling them they were wrong in their guesses.

Be My Own Boyfriend was the next big hitter on the setlist as she smashed the song out of the ballpark, the 25-year-old artist radiantly performing the track and encouragingly motivating the crowd to build up the chorus and to do justice to the dreamy engaging hymn of self-care.

Dean's stage presence was magnetic, as she passionately delivered her next song What Am I Gonna Do On Sundays?, drawing in the Yorkshire crowd with every note that she sang.

Her delicate yet demanding voice filled the venue, commanding attention and definitely left a lasting impression on all who were fortunate enough to witness her that evening.

A new song from her latest album Messy was unveiled next, and it would be the second time it was played live, having only had its live premiere the night before.

The music, packed with genuineness, was emotively delivered, as No Man was beautifully weaved into the repertoire of heartache healing songs.

Her album's title tune and a previously unheard track were scheduled to follow; first, Messy, the album's and tour's namesake, was a soothing and resonant song that dug into humanity and our flawed selves as we strive to improve each day.

The latter Touching Toes, a month-old song, was premiered to the predominantly female crowd, prompting Dean to switch to a guitar for the first time throughout the act.

The song, lost in a love narrative, is clear proof that her creative talent is ever-growing, as she performed it effortlessly.

Anxiety-driven anthem Everybody's Crazy and I Could Be A Florist were up next; she explained the meaning behind the lyrics to the first as apprehensive people fearing a body of work, and the latter as the artist saying she thinks she'd make a good florist if she wasn't in the music scene; these slower and more delicate songs came at a poignant time in the set, allowing Dean to then shift the tempo after these two, to a more upbeat one.

Ladies Room was a personal favourite of the night, as the stylish song, powered by addicting guitar riffs and a catchy chorus, had the audience swaying serenely and grooving to this uplifting dance experience.

Following on from the smooth and melodic Ladies Room, was her first ever released tune Reason To Stay, this melancholic depiction of a romance was a bittersweet moment of dreamy movements that had everyone hooked.

Heartbreak anthem The Hardest Part was the pinnacle of her performance; her most popular and streamed tune was three songs from the end of her set.

This is not a rare case for a setlist, but the singer expressed a true affection for the hymn, noting that it was her gateway song that led her to where she is now, completely enjoying the harmonising and emotional highlight of the performance.

The crowd erupted in excitement as they sang back the chorus to the 2023 BBC's Music Introducing Artist of the Year.

She then informed the audience that they would not be doing an encore since she thought the whole thing was silly – and that the next two songs would be her last.

With only two songs remaining, Carmen was the first. A song dedicated to the artist's grandmother and her bravery in crossing the ocean to start a new family in the UK, the powerfully demanding verses evolved into a poignant and triumphant anthem of her ancestry, leaving the young artist with a smile of pride on her face as the audience sang line after line loudly back at her.

The Brit-nominated artist thanked the Leeds audience for coming out and played the hopeful and inspirational track about allowing yourself to take the risk and submerge yourself in a relationship.

The soulful ballad was opened with an emotive yet delicate piano melody, and Dive was a wave of captivating lyrics that seamlessly blended all of the components and genres that were present throughout the rest of the set.

Olivia Dean's performance was an incredible experience that left you feeling uplifted and motivated. Whether you're a lifelong admirer or are discovering her music for the first time, seeing her live is an experience not to be missed.