PHOTOS: Holly Humberstone | 5.5.24 @ The Basement East

Holly Humberstone
w/ Carol Ades
The Basement East; Nashville, TN
May 5, 2024

Photos by Gina Di Maio

English indie pop singer-songwriter Holly Humberstone has had a remarkable past few years, since first arriving onto the scene amidst the pandemic lockdown with 2020 debut EP Falling Asleep at the Wheel, soon inking a major label record deal and rising to further prominence with the following year’s The Walls Are Way Too Thin, then hitting the road with popular artists like girl in red and Olivia Rodrigo, both of whom brought Holly to Nashville in 2022, at Brooklyn Bowl and the Grand Ole Opry House respectively, her only two prior Music City dates. Since then, the young, confessional songwriter has dropped a compilation of her early work, Can You Afford to Lose Me?, then, last year, her long-awaited and ubiquitously praised debut full-length, Paint My Bedroom Black, followed by a new EP, Work in Progress, and further singles this year. Needless to say, Humberstone has proven quite prolific, perfecting her synth-soaked, rock-spirited, layered and lush style of pop, and we’ve been eagerly awaiting her return to Nashville for a proper headlining performance.

Kicking off her largest North American tour to date, a trek dubbed The Holly Humberstone Show, recently at The Basement East, the singer played to a sold out crowd for her first local headliner, with support from likeminded indie pop singer-songwriter Carol Ades. Proclaiming it one of her favorite shows ever, Holly- decked out in American flag-emblazoned skirt- demonstrated exactly why she’s become such a celebrated musical fixture these past few years (and why this tour almost entirely sold out before it began). Performing much of Paint My Bedroom Black and well as cuts from her entire (brief but prolific) discography, the show was electrifying yet earnest; melancholy yet exhilarating; fresh yet timeless. Backed by an impressive band, Holly performed on guitar, for much of the show, but also on keyboard and alone on vocals for some of lengthy set, and made full use of The Basement East’s intimate space and closeup stage, interacting with the crowd and expressing immense gratitude and excitement for such an enthusiastic reception on the tour’s first night.

Beginning with hypnotic album opener and title track “Paint My Bedroom Black” and electronic groove “Into Your Room,” then kicking it back to some favorites like synth-soaked breakout “The Walls Are Way Too Thin,” guitar-driven “Overkill,” and etherial “Please Don’t Leave Just Yet,” Humberstone invited out Nashville’s own Medium Build- who previously toured with her in Europe- to perform “Cocoon,” one of three tracks from her debut LP she recently rerecorded with guests (the other two being MUNA and Tiny Habits). The pair’s genuine friendship is palpable, and, rocking a green wig, Medium Build was unsurprisingly met with a lot of local love, and the duet sounded incredible, their voices complimenting one another perfectly. Following that magical moment, a lot of show was left, from alt-indie confessional “Dive” to soulful electro-ballad “Can You Afford to Lose Me?” to frenetic and breezy recent single “Down Swinging” to early breakout tune “Falling Asleep At the Wheel,” plus a lot more cuts from Paint My Bedroom Black. By the encore the room was blistering hot, both literally and in the power of the performance and profound response from the crowd, and Holly returned for a pair of The Walls Are Way Too Thin songs, “Friendly Fire” and “Scarlett.”

Every so often, a young artist emerges with such immense talent, such a gift for story-driven, personal, and deeply relatable songwriting, such a confident and refinished and mesmerizing performance style, that you just know they’re destined to go down among the greats. We got that feeling watching a young Phoebe Bridgers in the 2010s, and have no doubt that Holly Humberstone is on a similar trajectory. We hope she’ll be back in Nashville soon, and hopefully at a still intimate but slightly larger spot like The Ryman, where even more fans can witness her magical live show in person.

All photos by Gina Di Maio

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Setlist:

Paint My Bedroom Black
Into Your Room
The Walls Are Way Too Thin
Overkill
Please Don’t Leave Just Yet
Kissing in Swimming Pools
Cocoon
Dive
Deep End
Can You Afford to Lose Me?
Down Swinging
Lauren
Falling Asleep at the Wheel
Elvis Impersonators
Flatlining
Girl
Sleep Tight
Ghost Me

Friendly Fire
Scarlett