Gig review: Olivia Dean at The Wardrobe, Leeds

Currently embarking on a sold out UK/EU, it’s hard to believe that the London-born singer-songwriter is still yet to release her debut, considering the packed out room of excited fans at Leeds’s Wardrobe last Thursday.

Upon arriving, there’s no doubts as to who Dean’s fanbase are, with the majority of the long queue being students and young people. One fan, lucky enough to make it to the barrier, clings onto a sign that reads “Olivia, you got me through my break-up!”

It’s clear Dean’s music has connected with her Yorkshire audience, when she arrives on stage, she’s met with roars from the barrier to the back, roars that turn into the first bar of recent single UFO.

What perhaps attracts people to Dean’s music is not just her soulful, velvet vocals and contagious instruments, but her relatable lyrics.

2021 song Be My Own Boyfriend is a stunning ode to self love, one that few in the audience miss a single word to, the same is to be said for 2019 earworm OK Love You Bye.

The gig is energetic from the off, but there are moments of tenderness when Dean sings tracks like Slowly and Cross My Mind.

Towards the end of the set, we hear Dean tease the audience with a few new tracks for her upcoming debut, set to arrive in the next few months.

Closing with The Hardest Part, Dean tells the audience that her life has changed due to the support of her listeners, owing much of her success to the closing number, in which pretty much everyone in the venue sings word perfect.