The final night of Nell Mescal’s run of shows brought her to Nottingham’s Bodega, an intimate venue which was buzzing with anticipation. A loyal crowd - some of whom had attended multiple dates - packed into the venue to witness a set that blended fan favourites with rarities and unreleased tracks, making the night feel especially personal...
Before the headliner came on stage, Eve Christina quickly won over the room with her raw honesty and charm. She spoke candidly about relationships and confusion over liking both boys and girls - nearly stopping herself from oversharing before launching into Be My Man. At just 23 and on the cusp of moving out of home, her reflections on identity, youth and change were captured beautifully in I’ll Be Forever 18.
Eve also made a point to shake up her own set list for this last night, dusting off songs she hadn’t played in a while, including the tender Fig Tree. Between songs she joked, reflected and connected with the predominantly teenage audience, creating a space of warmth and relatability. After closing with On the Brain - a track that actually references headliner Nell - she hung out by the merch stand to chat with fans after her set, cementing her down-to-earth presence.
When Nell Mescal took the stage, it felt like a step into a new chapter. She admitted this was her first proper full-band show in a long time, having only just met most of her band the week before (with the exception of Charlie who she has performed with for a while now). But if there were nerves, they were masked by a confidence and joy that shone through from the opening notes of Killing Time, an early moment in her set where her falsetto vocals were able to shine.
The set leaned heavily on storytelling, with Nell introducing each track with humour and candour. Electric Picnic was prefaced as a song about “terrible friendships,” while In My Head she dubbed “about the worst person I’ve ever met.” She scattered in new material too, including The Closest We’ll Get: a violin-led number about two friends who insist they’re “just friends,” she noted sarcastically, and Lose You Altogether, a harmony-rich duet with Charlie that explored the bittersweet acceptance of friendship over romance.
There were moments of vulnerability, too. Before performing acoustic track Thin, Nell spoke openly about the body issues and bullying she’s experienced throughout her life, sharing how posting the song online and seeing its resonance became one of the defining experiences of her past year. Later, July carried the message of letting go of burdens, with Nell encouraging the crowd to join her in shedding something heavy during the four-minute runtime of the song.
Between songs, her wit lit up the room. After welcoming her band back for the second half of the set, she quipped, “I feel like I’m on Love Island. Two new bombshells enter the villa.” Beforehand, she paused to lead a heartfelt “Happy Birthday” to her drummer Alex. And when she introduced Warm Body from her “first EP” - deliberately stressing first - the crowd cheered at the implication of more to come. This is one of Nell’s strongest songs, and the journey it takes the listener on was just as powerful live as it is on the studio recording.
The set closed with Carried Away, a track about unspoken love that the audience already knew word-for-word, despite its recent release. The room became a choir, singing back every line until the last note faded. With no encore, Nell slipped offstage, later reappearing at the merch stand to greet fans - a fittingly intimate end to a night that felt just as much about connection as it did about the music.
Nell Mescal performed at The Bodega on 21st August 2025.
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