Tucked away in North West London on a chilly Thursday night, Camden Assembly buzzed. People of all ages, groups large and small, as well as solo gig-goers, waited eagerly for 24-year-old indie singer Ellur. This was the penultimate date on her UK headline tour, which she called her “first big girl tour” online.
We arrived in time to see up-and-coming artist SOMOH warm up the crowd. Backed by an entirely female/non-binary band, SOMOH captivated listeners with head-nodding tunes full of addictive drum patterns and guitar riffs. Between songs with heart-bearing and honest lyrics, SOMOH was charismatic and funny. At one moment, she asked the crowd, “Who here has mummy issues?” before ‘I Know You Care’. She introduced queer anthem ‘Man’ by saying something along the lines of, “Can I tell you something that really annoys me? I hate it when…” going into lyrics, “He gets to hold onto her hand / An act of love that they’ll always understand”. With a sound reminiscent of beabadoobee and Soccer Mommy, plus her new tune ‘CHUG!”, she is sure to be the industry’s next indie darling.
By the time Ellur began her set, the audience was full from front to back, and every eye was fixed on the stage in anticipation. Red lights flooded the room as the predominantly female band played an atmospheric introduction. Ellur finally glided on stage, cool as ever, with a smile and a beer in her raised hand. If she was nervous about playing the sold-out headline show, nothing on her face gave it away. She moved around the stage with confidence, as if she had played there her whole life, whipping her head of long curls in the air and throwing her arms up. She began her set with ‘Missing Kid’, singing deeply into the microphone while strumming her electric guitar. The song was instantly likeable, with upbeat indie sensibilities reminiscent of Sam Fender. By the second song, she swung her guitar off her shoulder. Now free to move, she danced around the stage with her microphone, allowing the audience to let go with her.
Her connection with her fans was undeniable. The front row reached out to her as she sang, and she would crouch down and sing with them, eye to eye. During ‘Free’, a fan in the front row was on FaceTime, and Ellur took their phone. The crowd watched in amusement as she serenaded the fan virtually, singing passionately at the screen.
Alongside the high-energy guitar bangers were softer, stripped-back moments. Around halfway through, Ellur brought the show to an intimate place with the unreleased ballad “The World Is Not An Oyster.” Until then, the crowd swayed and jumped to upbeat tunes. But “Oyster” brought complete silence, everyone clinging to each word she sang. She cried the emotional lyrics: “Maybe I’m the reason love keeps leaving”—a simple, impactful line.
The set was full of crowd favourites, including songs like ‘Yellow Light’ and ‘God Help Me Now’. But the highlight of the night was undoubtedly her latest release, ‘Disintegrate’. She prefaced the song with a few words about music’s ability to bring people together, right before she led the audience through a breathing exercise. She disclaimed, “I know it’s embarrassing, I know it’s a bit cringey,” but urged us to raise our hands above our heads, breathe in and out, let our arms drop to our sides, then up again. As the song began, her movements became increasingly mesmerising, reminiscent of interpretive dancing. You could almost see the music flowing through her veins. The song slowly built up into an explosive crescendo. The drummer banged and crashed her drums as Ellur chanted “I disintegrate for you!” like a mantra, urging everyone to raise their hands again. Where the recorded version of the song ends, they carried on into an extended outro, and Ellur surprised everyone by stepping off the stage and into the audience. Her band kept rocking while she jumped amongst the crowd with her fans, everyone letting the music take them. It was a euphoric moment that epitomised the evening: a celebration of music, togetherness, and letting go.
Written by Melina Blanco
GEM Magazine 