Review: Nell Mescal at OMEARA

Ireland-born rising artist Nell Mescal closed her UK tour with a stunning performance at London’s OMEARA earlier this month.

The show was opened by bedroom-pop artist Phoebe Axa, whose set of energetic 80’s-influenced songs had the audience excitedly dancing along. Her cover of Lorde’s “Ribs” was a particular hit, and the enthusiasm of the crowd made it clear that the last night of Nell Mescal’s tour was going to be an unforgettable one.

Mescal began her set with mid-2022 release “Graduating”, bringing the crowd to a comfortable quiet, before segueing into the more lively “Punchline” and re-introducing the previously established atmosphere of loud enthusiasm, which was especially driven by the dedicated fans at the front.

Despite many of the songs she performed being unreleased, multiple audience members sang faultlessly to every single one - a testament to the infectiously relatable nature of her raw, honest lyrics.

Mescal’s stage presence was enchanting throughout, with many audience interactions including a passionate echo from the crowd during “Keep You”, when everyone united to chant the lines “I stayed awake for this, I stayed awake for you” at her request.

The Irish artist’s musical talent shone especially during single “In My Head” and the yet to be released “Yellow Dresser”, where her euphonious voice lifted into vocal ad-libs peppered throughout the tracks, bringing a sense of vulnerability to the otherwise bouncy tempo.

Being the final show of Mescal’s UK tour, the night likely carried a lot of emotion for the singer, and if this wasn’t already evident throughout her performance it was likely cemented by penultimate song “Killing Time”.

As she launched into the track, which is her most recent release, miniature paper hearts with the text ‘We love killing time with you’ were raised by fans throughout the crowd. A labour of love by a long-time fan of Mescal, it provided a beautifully united end to the night before the encore.

Final song “Homesick”, arguably one of Mescal’s most popular releases, raised the roof in a cathartic swelling of drums as the show ended how it began - in a heartwarming display of passion, talent and vulnerability.

A little over a year after her first headline show in London, this night was certainly one to remember for both Mescal and her fans. Her debut EP “Can I Miss It For A Minute?” is set to be released in May this year.

Photography by Theodora Fazekas.