She really can sing (and run)
It would be easy to imagine Ellie Goulding’s live show as being extravagant; an excuse for the much hyped and glorified ‘folktronica’ singer to flex her ego and essentially show off. But this is incredibly far from the truth. Whilst the majority of performers receiving the amount of attention she has (winning the Brit’s Critics Choice Award and topping the BBC’s Sound of 2010 Poll) may find themselves swimming in a sea of self-adoration, Ellie Goulding is a humble and unpretentious individual, an attitude that comes across refreshingly and allows her incredible talent to shine through.
A select few of us in the crowd at the Club Academy were privy to this knowledge pre-show, having had the opportunity to take part in Nike’s ‘Ellie Runs’ campaign earlier in the day: we met Ellie and got to join her on a run through Manchester, a ritual she upholds in every place she visits, and is letting fans join her on in 7 cities. How many other artists would be willing to do such a thing with their fans?
The set opened with a track only included on the iTunes version of her debut album Lights, a bonus track of the same name. Lights is an incredible song, and anyone who purchased a physical copy of the album (does anyone do that these days?) should download it. It was a great choice for an opening number; the song starts out quietly and cathartically, crescendoing into the pop/electro/folk sound that categorizes the album. This gave the crowd a brief glimpse of Ellie solo, before seeing what she can do with aid of her band.
And what can she do? Quite simply, blow your mind. She proceeded to play every song from her album, with tracks such as Everytime You Go, This Love (Will Be Your Downfall) and Your Biggest Mistake providing the crowd with sing-along opportunities that they wholeheartedly embraced. The crowd itself was a jumble of gender and age, with die-hard fans holding banners aloft and singing along to every song, groups of friends joined in mutual adoration of Ellie’s incredible voice (and hair as someone yelled out), and older gentlemen admiring her mastery of the acoustic guitar and drumming skills (as well as swaying to tracks such as The Writer which looked a little peculiar but was thoroughly endearing!). The diverse crowd only served to highlight Ellie’s talent, people from all age groups had braved the horrendous Manchester weather and crammed into the basement of the Academy to hear the girl from Hereford amaze us with her raspy, delicate, and yet shockingly powerful vocals.
Between songs Ellie came across as appreciative and charming, thanking fans for buying her album, explaining track meanings, and inviting us all to go jogging with her (the girl can RUN). Her comments that the room was too quiet whilst she was speaking were met by raucous yet concise cheers, not due to lack of enthusiasm but an enthralment and eagerness to know what she had to say next. I think it’s safe to say that the majority of the room were completely spellbound: those who had come with prior knowledge enjoying her brilliance; those just discovering it left astounded.
The most energetic parts of the night were found in singles Under the Sheets and Starry Eyed, stomping tracks during which Ellie grabbed her drumsticks and beat her sparkling drum as vigorously as she attacked the microphone. Vocal samples were used to recreate the layering found in the production of Lights, but it was the live vocals that shone through, showing that no matter how good the album is, it does no justice to the range and nuances displayed in live performances. Wish I Stayed gave the audience a chance to hear her vocals more stripped down as her band left and we saw Ellie alone with her guitar. Any doubts that fans may have had about over-production ruining Ellie’s sound surely had their faith restored by this number, a moving few minutes during which we saw her vulnerability and natural ability to mesmerise. Not to say that this was lost during the bigger numbers; Salt Skin was performed with the band but still proved to be moving and emotive.
Starry Eyed closed the night with a bang, leaving everyone in the room energised and thankful that they had seen Ellie Goulding in such a small and intimate venue, something that won’t be happening much longer for a girl with her immense talent. Overall, an enchanting evening, one which proved that if you take away the production of Lights, the opinions of critics, and the stacks of publicity, you are left with Ellie’s natural talent and warmth, things that make her worthy of all the success she is destined to achieve.
Ellie, born in Hereford, is probably best known for her number four hit 'Starry Eyed' and her cover of Elton John's 'Your Song'. She topped the BBC Sound of 2010 poll, and won the 2010 Critics' Choice Brit Award. After that her year just got better, with her debut album going straight in at number one. Ellie performed at most of the festivals in the summer of 2010, including Glastonbury! Her final single of 2010, 'Your Song', peaked at number two in the UK Top 40 and 2011 was another great year for Ellie, who released her debut album in America in March and performed at Coachella festival. Ellie was also chosen to play for the royal couple (William and Kate) at their after party to their wedding in April, and even appeared on Saturday Night Live with Tina Fey. She was later chosen to represent drinks brand, SoBe, in the UK. Ellie is set to release new music in 2012, and Ellie-G.com cannot wait!
