Mabel

at Hangar 34

Liverpool

Friday 22nd July 2022

Tonight we find ourselves in one of Liverpool’s premier venues at Hanger 34, a fantastic live music venue located in the city’s amazing Baltic Triangle area, the area has gradually become the cities music quarter, with tons of venues, bars, restaurants and hotels popping up over recent years making it one of the most popular areas in the North West of England for a night out. All in all Hanger 34 is a great location for a show of this capacity.

Although the venue has a capacity of around 1k It’s still an intimate venue for Mabel to choose for this show considering her large following with over (12 million listeners on Spotify alone) and other dates at arenas it’s very special that we are going to get to see her in such an intimate environment with her being one of the biggest artists in the UK. 

(Mabel_Credit: Billy Vitch)

Mabel is the daughter of Swedish-born artist Neneh Cherry who rose to prominence in the late 1980s and early 1990s with her albums Raw Like Sushi (1989), Homebrew (1992) and Man (1996). Her father is producer Cameron McVey (known for his work with Massive Attack and Sugababes) You could say Mabel was born to make music!

There is no doubt though about Mabel’s immense talent as an artist. Studying music relentlessly since childhood she broke away from the stigma that sometimes surrounds artists who have famous parents when the 26-year-olds debut studio album High Expectations entered the UK Albums Chart at number three in 2019 and was certified platinum. She also won the Brit Award for British Female Solo Artist in 2020.

Her new album ‘About Last Night…’ is this week’s highest new entry at Number 2 on the Official Album charts only being pipped to the No1 spot by Harry Styles ‘Harry’s House’. 

So on to the show, tonight’s audience is a mixed bag of all ages but it’s also a child-friendly show meaning there are plenty of families with their teenage kids in the crowd which makes it a lovely environment! Mabel comes onto the stage with a massive smile as she waves and tells her adoring fans how she can’t believe that she here getting to do what she has always wanted to do and comes across as extremely grateful to be able to sing for everyone. The crowd participation is fantastic as they sing along with her through every one of her catchy hits such as About Last Night…, Let Them Know, Mad Love, Finders Keepers and Overthinking. In between songs Mabel shows pure love and care for her fans by checking if everyone is safe and reminding them again how much they mean to her. All of her songs are supported by her amazing backing dancers who she dances throughout the set with amazing choreography and I start to realise how dedicated she is to her craft as each song is a mesmerizing and captivating scene of movement, words and music.

(Mabel_Credit: Billy Vitch)

Her energy and the way she sails through each song impeccably is a real testament to the versatility of this artist and as the show draws to a close I’m left feeling that I have just witnessed something very, very special.

All in all, an amazing and exciting show and I think things can only go in one direction for Mabel now and that is up, up, up!

Review by Gemma Bainbridge

Photography by Billy Vitch