You can learn a lot about an artist by their fans, and if the crowd at King’s Cross’ Scala taught me anything, it was that Lola Young is headed for new levels of stardom. Bursting out of the sold-out venue, fans were packed from door to door, carefully twisting their bodies to fill in empty crevices and make space for latecomers as the clock counted down towards Young’s set.
The lights dimmed, Young prepared to take the stage, and the crowd erupted in their own performance, singing the chorus to her viral hit “Conceited” in a warm welcome that set the scene for an unforgettable evening. Kicking things off with “Wish You Were Dead”, the energy grew and grew, exponentially rising from track to track. And I soon realised that the crowd knew every word of every song — from her most popular singles to the yet-to-be-released tracks she’s teased on social media.
As for Young herself, she has mastered the balance of small crowd intimacy and stadium-worthy performance — commanding the space with a voice so powerful she could be on a different plane altogether, then reaching into the crowd and breaking the barrier to grab a couple cell phones and snap some photos.
