American singer-songwriter UPSAHL has come to the final show of her ‘This Is My First Headline Tour’ tour.

After playing a string of shows in Australia, North America, Europe, and finally the UK, UPSAHL ends her first headline tour at Camden’s Powerhaus–formerly Dingwalls. From the moment the stage lit up and the beat erupted, Phoenix-born artist UPSAHL had the crowd in the palm of her hand. Kicking off her set with the title track from her 2021 debut album Lady Jesus, she had fans entranced and singing along from the get-go. Her energy on stage is infectious and her stage presence gives the impression of a seasoned performer and not someone on their first headline tour. The excitement from fans throughout told me this was a highly anticipated show and despite being somewhat unfamiliar with her work, I can tell you I will definitely be keeping an eye out for future shows.

Jumping around with the energy of someone who hasn’t just spent the last two months on tour, UPSAHL tells the crowd how special this evening is. “I’ve been looking forward to this show for the last six months so no fucking pressure London” she exclaims before jumping into the upbeat MoneyOnMyMind and soon following with bass-lead track Douche Bag both from her album Lady Jesus. 

Next, we got a taste of her new EP Sagittarius in the form of the newest single Into My Body, this track was a real stand-out moment for me and it’s clear to see it’s a fan favourite as well with the room singing the lyrics straight back. The EP is set to be released on December 9th and features five tracks each representing a quality found in Sagittarians. 

“How are you doing London? Are you doing great? But more importantly… are you guys thriving?” UPSAHL asks the audience before going into the slightly slower-paced track Thriving. 

UPSAHL spent the night switching between the electric guitar and bass guitar for tracks such as IDFWFEELINGS, a catchy playful track with a Nirvana-esque bassline. 

UPSAHL then took it back to her earlier releases with the track Stressed before taking a moment to tell the crowd that it is just over a year since she played her first ever headline show here in London at the Courtyard making tonight “Really fucking magical”. “I’m gonna remember this forever” she adds before going into the stripped-back track about where she’s from, Arizona which gave the perfect opportunity for the entire room to get their phone torches out and light up the venue.  

Another taster from her new EP, Antsy, was next on the bill which UPSAHL mentioned she wrote earlier in the year during a time of her life when she was “Quite the shit-show” and had an ongoing list of things she wanted to change within her life which she said got “So overwhelmingly long that I just ignored the whole thing and stayed very Antsy”. Ansty provided another slower-paced moment from the night with a more stripped-back sound.

It also was great to hear UPSAHL’s take on Dominic Fike’s track, 3 Nights which she put her signature spin on. 

With her set drawing to a close, we got to hear the catchy Notorious, Last Supper, and Sad Sorry After Party before UPSAHL and her band left the stage leaving the crowd begging for more. Returning for an encore starting with the alluring 12345SEX before asking the crowd to channel whatever energy they have left into finding their inner Lunatic. The dance-floor-ready track had the entire room bouncing and going wild before it was time for the song which would mark the end of UPSAHL’s first headline tour. TikTok’s viral track Drugs was the perfect closure to what was an electric show full of energy, punchy rhythms, and honest–at times cheeky–lyrics. 

UPSAHL really knows how to put on a show and commands the stage in such a way, she is sure to be filling much bigger venues before we know it. 

Words by Gabi Oates