Image credit: Jeremy Soma 

After the release of her second album Memoir of a Sparklemuffin last September, Suki Waterhouse embarked on her ‘Sparklemuffin Tour’ across the United States. Much to many fans’ avail, the following announcement of her dates in the UK and EU were extremely limited. In the UK, where Waterhouse was born and raised, she was to perform two shows in London, one in Belfast and also take on the Main Stage at Reading & Leeds festival. As she was placed on a day where many acts were pointed to a crowd more interested in rap music, with the headliner being Travis Scott, I didn’t have much interest in buying a day ticket just to see her. However, in a spontaneous turn of events, I did end up in Bramham Park for the weekend. 

Seeing Waterhouse on a huge stage like that at Leeds Festival made me realise how incredible her voice is; it’s a difficult feat to sound almost exactly like a recorded track in an open field and yet she managed it. It made me want to see her again in an enclosed venue, where her vocal ability is sure to shine even brighter. Strutting out onto the stage in a full body silver Gucci leotard which you’d expect to see Freddie Mercury or David Bowie wearing in the 1970s, a grey fur jacket and maroon leather heels, she caught everybody’s eye.

She opened her set with ‘Gateway Drug’, a dramatic and drum-heavy track from her newest album. The theatricality of Waterhouse’s entrance lured the crowd in, even if a lot of them weren’t at the festival on the Friday to see her. Energy levels were kept high for the next few songs: ‘Supersad’, a fast-paced track which prompts some chanting along with the lyric “I look so much better when I don’t care”, ‘Blackout Drunk’ which was dedicated to those in the crowd who were celebrating the end of the GCSEs or A-Levels, and ‘OMG’, a personal favourite of mine. 

It is no secret that Waterhouse’s music evokes a magical and dreamy feeling, and it certainly has the aesthetic to go along with it. ‘Johanna’, a single from 2019, particularly encapsulates this with a melody which, when mixed with ethereal vocals, highlights the aching feeling of unrequited love. Usually, Waterhouse brings out a fan or friend to duet with her on this track but she didn’t do this in Leeds. Instead she moved on to what she shared was her “favourite part of the set” where we can “have some fun”. Inflatable beach balls started to be thrown through the crowd, and while some were taken by the wind, it complimented the feel-good feeling of ‘My Fun’. With the lyrics on the screen, festival-goers were prompted to sing along and some definitely gave it their all. 

The one cover in Suki Waterhouse’s set shows that she knows exactly what she needs to do to engage a crowd: a belting performance of Oasis’ ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’. From the first note of the track, the crowd went wild and everybody sang along with every word! Her voice perfectly suited the song too and hit all the powerful notes the Gallaghers would. 

‘Moves’ is one of my favourites in Waterhouse’s discography and she nailed it live, with wind and smoke machines making her performance even more mystical. Throughout the entire set, a girl behind me was hoping for a rendition of ‘Melrose Meltdown’ stating “I know every word of that song – I love it!” When the time came and Waterhouse began singing it as the penultimate song, it’s safe to say she was very happy as I heard a bellowing cheer and understandably excited sing-along! Ending her set with the huge hit ‘Good Looking’ which has been catapulted into the mainstream through the power of social media, with many people seeming to perk up and sing along especially with the lustful and intense choruses. 

During her limited set of around 35 minutes, Waterhouse made sure to condense her setlist to get through all of her greatest hits. I wish she would have played ‘Big Love’ and ‘Nostalgia’ but it is understandable when she is so restricted by time. It’s a shame that a lot of the crowd seemed a bit bewildered during her set, as many would have been sticking around the Main Stage for the likes of Travis Scott and D-Block Europe. Waterhouse probably would have fit better on the Saturday lineup alongside Chappell Roan and Hozier. However, during the past couple of years, whether it’s through her second album, her role as Karen in Daisy Jones and The Six, or her supporting slot on Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour, Suki Waterhouse continues to turn heads and grow her fanbase. I myself have now got the bug, and am more determined than ever to see her perform in an indoor venue, and deliver another whimsical and intimate gig – perhaps with another tour, I will get the chance!