“Today when we were driving in, I drove past King Tut’s,” says Olivia Dean. Illuminated by a spotlight as she stands centre stage, she takes a moment to recall her 2024 show at the small, storied Scottish venue. “I played there two years ago and there was 300 people in the room… and I’m now here with all of you!”
“All of you” refers to the 14,000 fans who have sold out Glasgow’s OVO Hydro arena, and are singing, crying and dancing alongside Dean on the first night of her ‘The Art of Loving Live’ tour – which is already poised as a victory lap after her stratospheric 2025. In the past eight months, the Londoner has released her stellar second record ‘The Art of Loving’, bagged Number One hits, and taken home four BRITs and a Grammy. Tonight (April 22), it’s time for the cherry on top: a frankly gigantic arena tour that’ll see her play to tens of thousands of fans around the world.
It’s a show, too, that cements Olivia Dean as one of the UK’s brightest popstars. At times it’s all old-school Hollywood glamour: the concert opens with Dean’s silhouette illuminated through plush closed curtains, her lush vocals floating across the arena as she delivers album introduction ‘The Art of Loving’. As the opening riffs of megawatt single ‘Nice To Each Other’ kick in, the curtains open, revealing Dean in a sequinned pink gown, flanked by a slick band.
It’s glitzy throughout, with multiple outfit changes, tight musical arrangements and solo sections, and Dean’s pitch-perfect vocals. There’s a slinky rendition of 2020 track ‘Echo’, a glamorous version of ‘Ladies Room’ that keeps fans on their feet, and a surprise gem in an excellent cover of Curtis Mayfield’s ‘Move On Up’.
Elsewhere it almost feels like a cosy and intimate affair. Dean chats with the crowd like we’re old pals, at one point admitting: “This is crazy guys, so apologies if I get emotional tonight, but I just can’t believe how many people are here…” She waves giddily, introduces ‘Touching Toes’ with a “this is a sweet little song about how it’s nice to have a cuddle sometimes” and ‘So Easy (To Fall in Love)’ by explaining it’s a “song about fancying yourself; if you don’t fancy yourself, how do you expect someone to fancy you?!”
When she emerges on a B-stage for a handful of tunes, her excitement at being able to have dual stages is clear. “I’ve never done this before, but I thought let me get in the mix!” she grins between poignant renditions of ‘Loud’ and ‘A Couple Minutes’, before quipping: “Sorry this is meant to be a serious part of the set…I got excited.”
As the energy soars to the end of the show, Dean forgoes the tired theatrics of an encore and goes straight into the electric ‘Man I Need’. Thousands of fans raise their hands and belt the earworm hooks back to the ever-captivating Olivia Dean. It’s a moment of pure, confetti-coated euphoria: a grand finale befitting our newest pop superstar.
Olivia Dean played:
‘The Art of Loving (intro)’
‘Nice to Each Other’
‘Lady Lady’
‘So Easy (To Fall in Love)’
‘Close Up’
‘Let Alone the One You Love’
‘Messy’
‘UFO’
‘Touching Toes’
‘I’ve Seen It’
‘Carmen’
‘Echo’
‘Time’
‘Loud’
‘A Couple Minutes’
‘The Hardest Part’
‘Baby Steps’
‘Ladies Room’
‘Move On Up’ (Curtis Mayfield cover)
‘OK Love You Bye’
‘It Isn’t Perfect But It Might Be’
‘Dive’
‘Man I Need’