This stop on Ellie Dixon’s self-funded tour showed exactly why her fans are so fiercely loyal. From the moment she hit the stage at The Dome, we were welcomed into her world.
She treated us to a mix of old favourites and new material. There was a brand-new breakup song about wishing people would just be honest – “I’d rather be punched in the face”. Thirteen looked back at childhood and the scary world we’ve grown into, with a reminder that kindness has a ripple effect. Miscalculations, written during a panic attack, turned something scary into something healing.
In between the heavier stuff, Ellie’s playful side stole the show. She had us breathing together before Dopamine, threw biscuits into the crowd, and pulled off a bardcore version of Crazy in Love (complete with mandolin, announced as “the instrument of the bard”). An acappella Dancing Queen had the whole Dome singing along, and fans in medieval outfits added to the fun.
What made it even more special was how much Ellie shared the stage. Phoebe Hall came back out, Piri joined in, and by the finale she had her entire team dancing alongside her. She thanked every single person by name, and it really was genuine.
By the end, the whole place was jumping, dancing, and grinning. And honestly, that’s how live music should be experienced. Nights like this remind us that music is at its best when it’s not just performed, but lived together.
Phoebe Hall was the one to kick things off. Honestly, you couldn’t ask for a better opener.
It’s been about a year since Phoebe came out as non-binary, and that journey runs right through their songs. Some of them were written a couple of years ago, but the themes – queerness, our complicated relationships with our bodies, how we hold ourselves and each other – feel more urgent than ever in today’s climate.
Phoebe’s stage presence was something else, we were hooked from the very first track. Even if the audience didn’t know the lyrics at first, they definitely knew them by the end. And later, when they came back on stage with Ellie for Caroline Polachek’s Too Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings, it was one of those moments you don’t forget – two friends clearly loving what they do, and inviting us to be part of it.
Phoebe Hall delivered vulnerability and celebration all in one set, and what a way to start the night.