Gig review: Lola Young at The Level

Rough Trade out-store shows are quickly becoming some of the best gigs Nottingham has to offer, bringing huge current superstars into town to play some new material – sometimes even before the project has even dropped. In the last few months, we’ve seen artists like Little Simz, Wet Leg and The Hives all come to our city for one of these intimate performances, but tonight it’s the turn of chart-topping sensation, Lola Young.

Arriving to The Level thirty minutes after doors the venue is already packed with barely a spot to be found, however we manage to squeeze in at the back of the balcony with a small window of space between bodies offering a partial view of the stage. A short time later, we don’t need the visual to know Lola has arrived ready to perform, as a roar of screams erupts from the venue’s main floor space below to signal she’s here.

Tonight, may be their first time performing a lot of these songs off I’m Only F**king Myself live but you wouldn’t know it at all, with Lola and her band already sounding like a well-oiled machine. It’s a set where Lola mostly lets the music do the talking, her powerful vocals raising every hair and inducing multiple goosebumps on your skin, as her exceptional live band keep the arrangements sounding super tight throughout as well. The new material is sounding terrific too, with tracks like F**K EVERYONE, CAN WE IGNORE IT and SAD SOB STORY getting the crowd intrigued early on, before more heartfelt cuts like Walk All Over You, Post Sex Clarity and Why Do I Feel Better When I Hurt You? We are basically getting treated to the new album in full tonight and you know what – it’s sounding fantastic.

That said, the evening’s biggest moments are still reserved for the singles. The gut-punch of SPIDERS sees Lola shed some tears at the song’s climax, evidently moved by the crowd’s loud reaction to her most recent release. Then later in the set, the crowd almost take the roof off The Level singing along to guitar-driven bop d£aler, the spicy tropical grooves of One Thing and the album’s spiritual title track, Not Like That Anymore.

“This is not a job for me” states Lola at the end of the hour-long set, clearly taken aback by the crowd’s reaction to the new songs. “Thank you for sticking by my side” she concludes, before launching into the inevitable end to tonight’s set – Messy. It makes for a real moment, the performance made all the more memorable as Lola invites an audience member onto the stage with her who is seemingly celebrating their birthday, with the pair of them singing and dancing together as the audience belt out every single word back at them.

A wonderful end to a wonderful evening, proving that Lola Young truly is the superstar that her enormous streaming figures would suggest. With her new album sounding like another hit-making machine already, this could well only be the start for her too. Wherever her career goes from here, let’s hope another tour date in Nottingham is on the horizon.

Lola Young performed at The Level on 15^th September 2025.

@lolayounggg