LIVE REVIEW: Nessa Barrett @ Manchester Academy

TikTok sensation turned pop star, Nessa Barrett, played a packed Manchester Academy on Saturday night to a room of adoring fans in cowboy hats, glittered ribbons and mini skirts amidst her sold out world tour for latest album ‘Aftercare’.

Her cult following waited eagerly singing along to fellow TikTok star and opening act, Sombr, as he threw himself about the stage. Playing his viral hits ‘Back to Friends’ and ‘Undressed’, he had a hold on the crowd as his songs about love and longing bellowed throughout the room.

Walking out in a matching black set with a wraparound skirt clung to her waist, Nessa opens the show with single ‘Dirty little Secret’ playing the bass guitar pressed against her. The audience were louder than Nessa herself singing every word as she played nearly the entirety of ‘Aftercare’. Deluxe track ‘Love Looks Pretty On You’ was amongst the calmer moments in the set as Barrett took a seat at the edge of the stage serenading the front row with her tale of finally experiencing being loved in a relationship.

Switching between playing guitar and bass as well as moving about and off the stage engaging with her adoring fans, Nessa had an incredible presence and looked like she was having just as much fun as the audience. Visuals of glitter covered cash, birds and b roll from the sultry album cover shoot projected behind Nessa as she sang about heartbreak, loss and finding yourself again after being treated poorly.

During the encore, Nessa expressed how her track ‘Die First’ was an incredibly important song to her as it comes up to the anniversary of the death of her best friend Cooper Noriega. Singing about the pain of losing a loved one, girls around me were stifling sobs as the room shouted every lyric back to her hanging on to every word she sang.