A mélange of magical moments: Matilda Mann at O2 Academy Birmingham

O2 Academy Birmingham, 23rd April 2025

The anticipation was palpable in Birmingham’s O2 Academy as fans gathered for an unforgettable evening with Matilda Mann. Having previously captivated audiences as a supporting act for the likes of Beabadoobee, Dodie, and Wallows, Mann is no stranger to the stage. However, this was her moment to shine as the headliner. With the release of her debut album Roxwell, a poignant bildungsroman rooted in her indie folk sensibilities and superb storytelling, the night promised to be an intimate, emotionally rich experience.

To my surprise, there were two supporting acts – but they proved that more is merrier, and Mann made the wait worthwhile

During the opening act, Hetta Falzon enraptured the audience with her melodic voice as she belted out her musings about past relationships and anxiety with youthful candour. Her prologues before each song made her performance more engaging. Her set evoked the early days of Olivia Rodrigo, when she captivated audiences with nothing more than her piano and raw emotion.

The sold-out concert was packed with fans across age groups and genders. Robyn, a young concertgoer, shared that she had become a fan of Mann after seeing her support Wallows in 2024. She had seen Mann in concert just a month ago and was excited to experience her live again. To my surprise, there were two supporting acts – but they proved that more is merrier, and Mann made the wait worthwhile.

Jo Hill, ably accompanied by Kinga Hornik, invigorated the audience with their engaging performance. Their complementing vocals and twangy guitar, starting with ‘Pow Girl’, sent ripples through the room. Hill encouraged the audience to sing and hum along to ‘Glastonbury’ even if they didn’t know the lyrics. She then called out to the men in the audience, encouraging them to embrace vulnerability as the duo performed ‘Big Boys Cry Too’, with Hill adding a rhythmic touch on the tambourine. There wasn’t a dull moment in their set – Hill playfully urged the audience to imagine an acoustic mosh pit and joked that they couldn’t afford a drummer on tour, so the audience would have to become the de facto drummer every time the tempo changed during their next song. The spirited crowd clapped and stomped along to ‘Zoom Out’. The duo’s fantastic stage presence made it clear they were having as much fun as the audience, which made their performance even more memorable. I came into the concert a fan of Matilda Mann but left as a fan of Jo Hill as well.

A fan hurled a note at the stage, which Mann initially missed, and she quipped that she was ‘someone who didn’t do well in PE’. She read the note aloud with gratitude and grace

Mann took the stage with her band at the scheduled time amid a roaring audience and blinding lights. She started with a cheerful “How are you doing?” and launched into a rendition of ‘Autopilot’. She introduced herself and played ‘Just Because’, a song she described as “sassy”, while the audience bopped along.

A fan hurled a note at the stage, which Mann initially missed, and she quipped that she was “someone who didn’t do well in PE”. She read the note aloud with gratitude and grace. It was the first of many things her fans would gift her during the concert, including a notebook, crown, chocolate, art pieces, and a flag with her face on it. She accepted each gift with care and genuine excitement. She profusely thanked her fans for “spoiling her” while chatting with them and declared that it was “like Christmas”.

Mann performed ‘Dazed and Confused’ next, a dreamy jazz-infused track that captured the complexities of romantic longing and highlighted her angelic voice. She introduced ‘Paper Mache World’, a song featured in the widely acclaimed Netflix series Heartstopper, with the powerful message that everyone should love whoever they want to love and that it is “nobody else’s business”.

The audience gushed at her introduction and revelled in the live rendition. Though soft-spoken, she held the audience’s attention with her articulate storytelling and witty banter

Despite a cough, Mann rendered a heartfelt performance of ‘Tell Me That I’m Wrong’, a song she described as being about falling in love with a lovely person and walking around with them in London late into the cold night. The audience gushed at her introduction and revelled in the live rendition. Though soft-spoken, she held the audience’s attention with her articulate storytelling and witty banter. She introduced her talented band and team – Alex Haines on everything, Jack Tustin on guitar, Lloyd Haines on drums, Ben Hurst as the music video director, and Jonny Ridout as sound engineer – and said she was lucky to have them with her on tour. She then introduced ‘Japan’ as a song about wanting to escape to Japan if she were heartbroken.

Mann’s soulful rendition of ‘The Day I Met You’, a song with nuanced notes about finding your people when the world feels all gloom and doom, was, without a doubt, my favourite of the night. I may be biased – this was the song that first introduced me to her music – but seeing it come to life on stage was nothing short of breathtaking. The concert shifted gears with the slightly more angsty tracks ‘Common Sense’ and ‘Imagine That Now’, which still retained her signature introspective lyrics and delicate instrumentation.

Each song was prefaced with an engaging anecdote or nostalgic tidbit. ‘Girls’, a song about friends being chosen family, came next. Mann followed up her earlier Instagram poll about whether to play ‘Margaux’ or ‘Doomsday’ with a live one. The audience screamed and shouted for ‘Doomsday’, a soothing song about finding solace in solitary times.

This endearing ritual set the tone for Mann’s lush live rendition of ‘Meet Cute’, making the moment feel all the more special

After ‘Bloom’, Mann excitedly exclaimed, “Look what’s there!” before vanishing in an instant, only to reappear moments later donning angel wings. This playful moment marked the highlight of the charming Meet Cute tradition she created on tour. At her concerts, audience members were invited to fill out forms with a few personal details and a fun fact, offering the chance to connect with a potential friend or significant other. Later in the show, a few lucky Meet Cutes were announced on stage, adding a delightful and heartwarming touch to the night. This endearing ritual set the tone for Mann’s lush live rendition of ‘Meet Cute’, making the moment feel all the more special. Her short and sweet set ended with ‘See You Later’ as she bid her fans farewell, urging them to “be nice to each other”.

Mann is already a tour de force to be reckoned with, despite this being only her second-ever headline tour. This tour felt like the beginning of something extraordinary – her evocative music and magnetic live performances are bound to leave an indelible mark on anyone lucky enough to experience them.

★★★★